Spatial interference scale as a determinant of microbial range expansion.

ABSTRACT: In microbial communities, social interactions such as competition occur ubiquitously across multiple spatial scales from local proximity to remote distance. However, it remains unclear how such a spatial variation of interaction contributes to the structural development of microbial populations. Here, we developed synthetic consortia, biophysical theory, and simulations to elucidate the role of spatial interference scale in governing ecosystem organization during range expansion. For consortia with unidirectional interference, we discovered that, at growing fronts, the extinction time of toxin-sensitive species is reciprocal to the spatial interference scale. In contrast, for communities with bidirectional interference, their structures diverge into distinct monoculture colonies under diff

SUBMITTER: Celik Ozgen V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6248950 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature