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Updated: May 28, 2026
12:32
Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach
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
Summary
Microbial plasmid transmission depends on host-plasmid and plasmid-plasmid interactions. Network structures non-additively shape microbial community dynamics, influencing evolution and coexistence.
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.
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