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The ecological role of bacteriocins in bacterial competition
1Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. margaret.riley@yale.edu
Trends in Microbiology
|April 21, 1999
Abstract:
Bacteriocins are an abundant class of antimicrobial molecules that appear to mediate population dynamics within species. The bacteriocins of Escherichia coli have served as a model for exploring the ecological role of these potent toxins. Studies suggest that colicins provide a competitive edge in nutrient-poor environments and that there might be a trade-off between the costs and benefits of colicin production.