Experimental evaluation of ecological principles to understand and modulate the outcome of bacterial strain competition in gut microbiomes.

ABSTRACT: It is unclear if coexistence theory can be applied to gut microbiomes to understand their characteristics and modulate their composition. Through experiments in gnotobiotic mice with complex microbiomes, we demonstrated that strains of Akkermansia muciniphila and Bacteroides vulgatus could only be established if microbiomes were devoid of these species. Strains of A. muciniphila showed strict competitive exclusion, while B. vulgatus strains coexisted but populations were still influenced by competitive interactions. These differences in competitive behavior were reflective of genomic variation within the two species, indicating considerable niche overlap for A. muciniphila strains and a broader niche space for B. vulgatus strains. Priority effects were detected for both species as strains'

SUBMITTER: Segura Munoz RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9122919 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature