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Updated: May 19, 2026

The Use of Chemostats in Microbial Systems Biology
Published on: October 14, 2013
The mathematical analysis of a syntrophic relationship between two microbial species in a chemostat
Tewfik Sari1, Miled El Hajji, Jerome Harmand
1Irstea, UMR ITAP, 361 rue Jean-Francois Breton 34196 Montpellier, France. Tewfik.Sari@irstea.fr
Abstract:
A mathematical model involving a syntrophic relationship between two populations of bacteria in a continuous culture is proposed. A detailed qualitative analysis is carried out as well as the analysis of the local and global stability of the equilibria. We demonstrate, under general assumptions of monotonicity which are relevant from an applied point of view, the asymptotic stability of the positive equilibrium point which corresponds to the coexistence of the two bacteria. A syntrophic relationship in the anaerobic digestion process is proposed as a real candidate for this model.
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