An experimental model for the spatial structuring and selection of bacterial communities

作者：Thomas Torsten; Kindinger Ilona; Yu Dan; Esvaran Meera; Blackall Linda; Forehead Hugh; Johnson Craig R; Manefield Mike^*

来源：Journal of Microbiological Methods, 2011, 87(2): 165-168.

DOI：10.1016/j.mimet.2011.08.010

• Community
• Spatial structure
• Coaggregation
• Protozoan grazing

Community-level selection is an important concept in evolutionary biology and has been predicted to arise in systems that are spatially structured. Here we develop an experimental model for spatially-structured bacterial communities based on coaggregating strains and test their relative fitness under a defined selection pressure. As selection we apply protozoan grazing in a defined, continuous culturing system. We demonstrate that a slow-growing bacterial strain Blastomonas natatoria 2.1, which forms coaggregates with Micrococcus luteus, can outcompete a fast-growing, closely related strain Blastomonas natatoria 2.8 under conditions of protozoan grazing. The competitive benefit provided by spatial structuring has implications for the evolution of natural bacterial communities in the environment.

• 出版日期2011-11