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Higher-Order Interactions Dampen Pairwise Competition in the Zebrafish Gut Microbiome
Deepika Sundarraman1,2,3, Edouard A Hay1,2,3, Dylan M Martins1,2,3
1Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Mbio
|October 14, 2020
Summary
Higher-order interactions, not just pairwise ones, are crucial for predicting the composition of complex gut microbial communities. These interactions stabilize microbial ecosystems in vertebrates, impacting host health.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Ecology
- Host-Microbe Interactions
Background:
- Gut microbial communities are vital for host health but their composition determinants are poorly understood.
- Predicting microbial community structure from pairwise interactions is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether pairwise species interactions predict microbial community composition in a vertebrate gut model.
- To determine the role of higher-order interactions in stabilizing complex microbial communities.
Main Methods:
- Constructed synthetic microbial communities of 1-5 bacterial species in germfree larval zebrafish.
- Utilized dissection and plating assays to analyze species composition and interactions.
Main Results:
- Pairwise competition outcomes did not predict species abundances in more complex communities.
- Interactions between bacterial species weakened in the presence of multiple species.
- Higher-order interactions were identified as stabilizing factors for gut microbial communities.
Conclusions:
- Emergent community-level properties, driven by higher-order interactions, are essential for predicting gut microbial composition.
- These findings advance our understanding of microbial ecology and have implications for therapeutic manipulation of gut microbiota.
