Polysaccharide-Bacteria Interactions From the Lens of Evolutionary Ecology
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fmicb-12-705082.pdf
Size
2.93 MB
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Unknown
Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Sichert, Andreas
Cordero, Otto X.
Date Issued
October 2021
Journal
Frontiers in Microbiology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Citation
Sichert, Andreas and Cordero, Otto X. 2021. "Polysaccharide-Bacteria Interactions From the Lens of Evolutionary Ecology." 12.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Microbes have the unique ability to break down the complex polysaccharides that make up the bulk of organic matter, initiating a cascade of events that leads to their recycling. Traditionally, the rate of organic matter degradation is perceived to be limited by the chemical and physical structure of polymers. Recent advances in microbial ecology, however, suggest that polysaccharide persistence can result from non-linear growth dynamics created by the coexistence of alternate degradation strategies, metabolic roles as well as by ecological interactions between microbes. This complex “landscape” of degradation strategies and interspecific interactions present in natural microbial communities appears to be far from evolutionarily stable, as frequent gene gain and loss reshape enzymatic repertoires and metabolic roles. In this perspective, we discuss six challenges at the heart of this problem, ranging from the evolution of genetic repertoires, phenotypic heterogeneity in clonal populations, the development of a trait-based ecology, and the impact of metabolic interactions and microbial cooperation on degradation rates. We aim to reframe some of the key questions in the study of polysaccharide-bacteria interactions in the context of eco-evolutionary dynamics, highlighting possible research directions that, if pursued, would advance our understanding of polysaccharide degraders at the interface between biochemistry, ecology and evolution.
MIT Department
Parsons Laboratory for Environmental Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.705082
