Environmentally dependent interactions shape patterns in gene content across natural microbiomes.

ABSTRACT: Sequencing surveys of microbial communities in hosts, oceans and soils have revealed ubiquitous patterns linking community composition to environmental conditions. While metabolic capabilities restrict the environments suitable for growth, the influence of ecological interactions on patterns observed in natural microbiomes remains uncertain. Here we use denitrification as a model system to demonstrate how metagenomic patterns in soil microbiomes can emerge from pH-dependent interactions. In an analysis of a global soil sequencing survey, we find that the abundances of two genotypes trade off with pH; nar gene abundances increase while nap abundances decrease with declining pH. We then show that in acidic conditions strains possessing nar fail to grow in isolation but are enriched in the co

SUBMITTER: Crocker K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11386527 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature