7th joint conference "Joint Microbiology & Infection Conference 2024" of the DGHM and VAAM

Abstract: Natural microbial communities have a mixture of both complementary and (seemingly) redundant metabolic capacities that drive biogeochemical cycles. Moreover, much of the complementarity involves metabolically costly compounds that promote not just their own survival and reproduction but can also support neighboring cells. Complementary metabolic interactions develop over an evolutionary time scale as microorganisms utilize metabolites released by other organisms in the same environment. We studied natural microbial communities using both a reductionist approach (dilution-mixed-cultures, a.k.a. model communities) and a holistic (metagenomics) approach. Model communities simplify the community while keeping some genotypic and nutritional diversity and consist of 2 or more microbial strains that would naturally co-occur. We inoculated thousands of model communities from environmental samples, resulting in different success rates depending on the media and the number of cells co-inoculated. Many of these cultures allowed for growing and studying previously uncultivated bacteria. Combined with sequencing techniques, we found complementary metabolic capacities in the genomes of the model community members as well as growth of consortium capable of specific functions, such as methane degradation. Moreover, the different levels of organization of microbial communities start to emerge, showing the intricate network of anabolic and catabolic interactions that play out in the natural environment.

Microbial interactions at different levels of organization: A holistic approach from cultures to environmental omics

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