Interspecific Niche Competition Increases Morphological Diversity in Multi-Species Microbial Communities

Intraspecific competition for limited niches has been recognized as a driving force for adaptive radiation, but results for the role of interspecific competition have been mixed. Here, we report the adaptive diversification of the model bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens in the presence of different n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in microbiology 2021-07, Vol.12, p.699190-699190
Main Authors: Chu, Xiao-Lin, Zhang, Quan-Guo, Buckling, Angus, Castledine, Meaghan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adaptive radiation
community ecology
competition
evolutionary ecology
microbial ecology
Microbiology
niche
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Summary:Intraspecific competition for limited niches has been recognized as a driving force for adaptive radiation, but results for the role of interspecific competition have been mixed. Here, we report the adaptive diversification of the model bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens in the presence of different numbers and combinations of four competing bacterial species. Increasing the diversity of competitive community increased the morphological diversity of focal species, which is caused by impeding the domination of a single morphotype. Specifically, this pattern was driven by more diverse communities being more likely to contain key species that occupy the same niche as otherwise competitively superior morphotype, and thus preventing competitive exclusion within the focal species. Our results suggest that sympatric adaptive radiation is driven by the presence or absence of niche-specific competitors.
ISSN:1664-302X
1664-302X
DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2021.699190