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Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach
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Published on: December 14, 2019

The interplay between ecological networks drives host-plasmid community dynamics.

Ying-Jie Wang1, Kaitlin A Schaal2, Johannes Nauta3

  • 1Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Plos Computational Biology
|May 26, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Microbial plasmid transmission depends on host-plasmid and plasmid-plasmid interactions. Network structures non-additively shape microbial community dynamics, influencing evolution and coexistence.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbial Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Network Science

Background:

  • Plasmids are key drivers of microbial evolution, facilitating trait transfer between hosts.
  • Plasmid transmission relies on complex host-plasmid infection and plasmid-plasmid compatibility networks.
  • The impact of these network structures on microbial community dynamics is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how the structures of host-plasmid infection and plasmid-plasmid compatibility networks interact to influence microbial community dynamics.
  • To determine if these interactions have non-additive effects on host-plasmid systems.
  • To develop a mechanistic framework for understanding the eco-evolutionary potential of microbial communities.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a stochastic agent-based model simulating coupled host-plasmid dynamics.
  • Systematically varied the structure of both infection and compatibility networks (modular, hub).
  • Re-parameterized the model using empirical host-plasmid community data.

Main Results:

  • Modular compatibility networks and hub compatibility networks promoted transient host coexistence.
  • Modular infection networks promoted plasmid diversity and stable host coexistence.
  • Network structures interacted non-additively, with effects most pronounced at moderate plasmid fitness costs; structured networks can counteract each other's effects.

Conclusions:

  • Jointly considering host-plasmid infection and plasmid-plasmid compatibility network structures is crucial for understanding microbial community dynamics.
  • Network structure significantly shapes plasmid prevalence and host coexistence, even with biological heterogeneity.
  • This work provides a framework for generating testable hypotheses in complex host-infectious agent systems.