Competition experiments in a soil microcosm reveal the impact of genetic and biotic factors on natural yeast populations.

ABSTRACT: The ability to measure microbial fitness directly in natural conditions and in interaction with other microbes is a challenge that needs to be overcome if we want to gain a better understanding of microbial fitness determinants in nature. Here we investigate the influence of the natural microbial community on the relative fitness of the North American populations SpB, SpC and SpC* of the wild yeast Saccharomyces paradoxus using DNA barcodes and a soil microcosm derived from soil associated with oak trees. We find that variation in fitness among these genetically distinct groups is influenced by the microbial community. Altering the microbial community load and diversity with an irradiation treatment significantly diminishes the magnitude of fitness differences among populations. Our findin

SUBMITTER: Bleuven C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7242384 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature