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Related Experiment Videos

Trade-offs and coexistence in microbial microcosms.

Brendan J M Bohannan1, Ben Kerr, Christine M Jessup

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, CA 94305-5029, USA. bohannan@stanford.edu

Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek
|November 27, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Ecological trade-offs, like bacterial resistance versus competition, are key to species coexistence. Environmental factors can control these trade-offs, influencing community stability and invasibility.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Trade-offs in organismal abilities are theorized to be crucial for species coexistence in ecological communities.
  • Experimental investigation of these trade-offs has been challenging.
  • Microorganisms offer a tractable model system for studying ecological trade-offs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate the role of ecological trade-offs in microbial community dynamics.
  • To understand how trade-offs influence species coexistence and community structure.
  • To explore the impact of environmental factors on trade-off magnitude and its consequences.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized model communities of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and T-type bacteriophage.
  • Observed and quantified the trade-off between E. coli resistance to bacteriophage and its competitive ability.

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  • Analyzed the effects of genetic and environmental factors, including gene-by-environment interactions, on trade-off magnitude.

    • Main Results:

    • A trade-off between bacteriophage resistance and competitive ability was frequently observed in E. coli.
    • This trade-off facilitates the coexistence of different ecological E. coli types.
    • The magnitude of the trade-off predictably influences community structure, dynamics, and response to environmental change.

    Conclusions:

    • Ecological trade-offs are experimentally demonstrable in microbial systems and are critical for species coexistence.
    • Environmental factors can modulate the magnitude of these trade-offs.
    • Environmental control over trade-offs provides a mechanism by which environmental change can alter community invasibility, stability, and coexistence.