Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 8, 2026
08:13
A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
17.9K
Stability of Cross-Feeding Polymorphisms in Microbial Communities
Ivana Gudelj1, Margie Kinnersley2, Peter Rashkov1
1Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
Plos Computational Biology
|December 31, 2016
Summary
Cross-feeding interactions, where microbes share nutrients, are common but hard to predict. A mathematical model shows environmental factors critically influence their stability and emergence in microbial communities.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Systems Biology
- Ecology
Background:
- Cross-feeding, where one organism consumes another's waste products, is widespread in microbial communities.
- This interaction is crucial for microbial diversity, especially in nutrient-limited environments.
- Predicting the formation of cross-feeding interactions remains challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and utilize a mathematical model to understand the stability of cross-feeding interactions.
- To explore how environmental conditions influence the emergence and stability of cross-feeding.
- To investigate the complex dynamics governing cross-feeding interactions.
Main Methods:
- Developed a mathematical model parameterized with biochemical and ecological data from an *E. coli* cross-feeding system.
- Validated the model against empirical short-term dynamics of competing organisms.
- Systematically explored interaction stability across various environmental conditions.
Main Results:
- The model accurately captured empirical short-term dynamics.
- Cross-feeding interactions exhibited complex, multi-stable behaviors influenced by a critical point.
- Interaction stability depended on competitor density/frequency and resource concentration.
- Minor environmental changes led to significant differences in cross-feeding establishment.
Conclusions:
- Mathematical models are vital for understanding the complex dynamics of microbial cross-feeding.
- Environmental conditions and population interactions critically determine cross-feeding stability.
- The unpredictability of cross-feeding outcomes in experiments may stem from subtle environmental variations.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
639
Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
639
00:30What are Populations and Communities?
37.9K
Overview
37.9K
01:34Crossing Over
172.2K
Unlike mitosis, meiosis aims for genetic diversity in its creation of haploid gametes. Dividing germ cells first begin this process in prophase I, where each chromosome—replicated in S phase—is now composed of two sister chromatids (identical copies) joined centrally.
The homologous pairs of sister chromosomes—one from the maternal and one from the paternal genome—then begin to align alongside each other lengthwise, matching corresponding DNA positions in a process...
The homologous pairs of sister chromosomes—one from the maternal and one from the paternal genome—then begin to align alongside each other lengthwise, matching corresponding DNA positions in a process...
172.2K
03:18Nuclear Stability
23.3K
Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a nucleus. With a radius of about 10−15 meters, a nucleus is quite small compared to the radius of the entire atom, which is about 10−10 meters. Nuclei are extremely dense compared to bulk matter, averaging 1.8 × 1014 grams per cubic centimeter. If the earth’s density were equal to the average nuclear density, the earth’s radius would be only about 200 meters.
To hold positively charged protons together...
To hold positively charged protons together...
23.3K
01:53RNA Stability
35.8K
Intact DNA strands can be found in fossils, while scientists sometimes struggle to keep RNA intact under laboratory conditions. The structural variations between RNA and DNA underlie the differences in their stability and longevity. Because DNA is double-stranded, it is inherently more stable. The single-stranded structure of RNA is less stable but also more flexible and can form weak internal bonds. Additionally, most RNAs in the cell are relatively short, while DNA can be up to 250 million...
35.8K
01:20Monohybrid Crosses
239.6K
Overview
239.6K