Cross-feeding creates tipping points in microbiome diversity.

ABSTRACT: A key unresolved question in microbial ecology is how the extraordinary diversity of microbiomes emerges from the interactions among their many functionally distinct populations. This process is driven in part by the cross-feeding networks that help to structure these systems, in which consumers use resources to fuel their metabolism, creating by-products which can be used by others in the community. Understanding the effects of cross-feeding presents a major challenge, as it creates complex interdependencies between populations which can be hard to untangle. We address this problem using the tools of network science to develop a structural microbial community model. Using methods from percolation theory, we identify feasible community states for cross-feeding network structures in which t

SUBMITTER: Clegg T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12088387 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature