Predictive genomic traits for bacterial growth in culture versus actual growth in soil.

ABSTRACT: Relationships between microbial genes and performance are often evaluated in the laboratory in pure cultures, with little validation in nature. Here, we show that genomic traits related to laboratory measurements of maximum growth potential failed to predict the growth rates of bacteria in unamended soil, but successfully predicted growth responses to resource pulses: growth increased with 16S rRNA gene copy number and declined with genome size after substrate addition to soils, responses that were repeated in four different ecosystems. Genome size best predicted growth rate in response to addition of glucose alone; adding ammonium with glucose weakened the relationship, and the relationship was absent in nutrient-replete pure cultures, consistent with the idea that reduced genome size is

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6776108 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature