Competition between Pseudomonas species constrains ecological diversification in polymicrobial biofilms.

ABSTRACT: Polymicrobial biofilms are acknowledged as evolutionary hotspots; however, the influence of interspecies interactions on adaptive processes remains ambiguous. Using custom-engineered 3D-printed flow systems, biofilms were grown over an 18-day period to explore the evolutionary dynamics over time between two competing species, Pseudomonas defluvii and Pseudomonas brenneri, within communities of differing complexity, using whole-population and whole-genome sequencing methodologies. P. defluvii demonstrated significant phenotypic and genetic diversification in simple biofilms, yet this variation was reduced in complex biofilms, implying that interspecies interactions constrained its adaptation. In contrast, P. brenneri exhibited negligible evolutionary changes irrespective of the diversity pr

SUBMITTER: Espinosa R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12727698 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature