Multi-kingdom ecological drivers of microbiota assembly in preterm infants.

ABSTRACT: The gut microbiota of preterm infants develops predictably^1-7, with pioneer species colonizing the gut after birth, followed by an ordered succession of microorganisms. The gut microbiota is vital to the health of preterm infants^8,9, but the forces that shape these predictable dynamics of microbiome assembly are unknown. The environment, the host and interactions between microorganisms all potentially shape the dynamics of the microbiota, but in such a complex ecosystem, identifying the specific role of any individual factor is challenging^10-14. Here we use multi-kingdom absolute abundance quantification, ecological modelling and experimental validation to address this challenge. We quantify the absolute dynamics of bacteria, fungi and archaea in a longitud

SUBMITTER: Rao C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7990694 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature