Deterministic processes guide long-term synchronised population dynamics in replicate anaerobic digesters.

ABSTRACT: A replicate long-term experiment was conducted using anaerobic digestion (AD) as a model process to determine the relative role of niche and neutral theory on microbial community assembly, and to link community dynamics to system performance. AD is performed by a complex network of microorganisms and process stability relies entirely on the synergistic interactions between populations belonging to different functional guilds. In this study, three independent replicate anaerobic digesters were seeded with the same diverse inoculum, supplied with a model substrate, α-cellulose, and operated for 362 days at a 10-day hydraulic residence time under mesophilic conditions. Selective pressure imposed by the operational conditions and model substrate caused large reproducible changes in community c

SUBMITTER: Vanwonterghem I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4184015 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature