Experimental manipulation of selfish genetic elements links genes to microbial community function

Area of Science:

• Microbial Ecology
• Genomics
• Biogeochemistry

Background:

• Microbial communities are crucial for Earth's processes but are complex.
• Understanding the link between microbial genes and community function is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for studying gene flow and its impact on microbial community function.
• To investigate the role of selfish genetic elements (SGEs) in horizontal gene transfer (HGT).

Main Methods:

• Established experimental microbial communities from compost and propagated them on cellulose.
• Periodically collected and redistributed SGEs among communities to promote HGT.
• Utilized comparative metagenomics to track gene movement and biochemical assays to measure function.

Main Results:

• Communities maintained hundreds of genera over a year.
• Metagenomics confirmed substantial movement of ecologically significant genes via HGT.
• Enrichment of nitrogen metabolism genes, particularly for ammonification, was observed.

Conclusions:

• The experimental strategy effectively links genes to microbial community function.
• HGT, driven by SGE redistribution, measurably impacts community biogeochemical processes.
• This approach offers a novel way to unravel dynamical processes in microbial ecology.