Polarization of microbial communities between competitive and cooperative metabolism.

ABSTRACT: Resource competition and metabolic cross-feeding are among the main drivers of microbial community assembly. Yet the degree to which these two conflicting forces are reflected in the composition of natural communities has not been systematically investigated. Here, we use genome-scale metabolic modelling to assess the potential for resource competition and metabolic cooperation in large co-occurring groups (up to 40 members) across thousands of habitats. Our analysis reveals two distinct community types, which are clustered at opposite ends of a spectrum in a trade-off between competition and cooperation. At one end are highly cooperative communities, characterized by smaller genomes and multiple auxotrophies. At the other end are highly competitive communities, which feature larger genome

SUBMITTER: Machado D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7610595 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature