Microbe-driven chemical ecology: past, present and future

In recent years, research in the field of Microbial Ecology has revealed the tremendous diversity and complexity of microbial communities across different ecosystems. Microbes play a major role in ecosystem functioning and contribute to the health and fitness of higher organisms. Scientists are now...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The ISME Journal 2019-11, Vol.13 (11), p.2656-2663
Main Authors: Schmidt, Ruth, Ulanova, Dana, Wick, Lukas Y., Bode, Helge B., Garbeva, Paolina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Abiotic factors
Bacteria - chemistry
Bacteria - classification
Bacteria - metabolism
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chemical ecology
Chemical interactions
Communities
Complexity
Ecological function
Ecology
Ecology, environment
Ecosystem
Ecosystems
Environmental factors
Evolutionary Biology
Life Sciences
Mathematical analysis
Metabolites
Microbial activity
Microbial Ecology
Microbial Genetics and Genomics
Microbial Interactions
Microbiology
Microbiology and Parasitology
Microbiota
Microorganisms
Mimicry
Natural environment
Organic chemistry
Organisms
Review
Review Article
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Summary:In recent years, research in the field of Microbial Ecology has revealed the tremendous diversity and complexity of microbial communities across different ecosystems. Microbes play a major role in ecosystem functioning and contribute to the health and fitness of higher organisms. Scientists are now facing many technological and methodological challenges in analyzing these complex natural microbial communities. The advances in analytical and omics techniques have shown that microbial communities are largely shaped by chemical interaction networks mediated by specialized (water-soluble and volatile) metabolites. However, studies concerning microbial chemical interactions need to consider biotic and abiotic factors on multidimensional levels, which require the development of new tools and approaches mimicking natural microbial habitats. In this review, we describe environmental factors affecting the production and transport of specialized metabolites. We evaluate their ecological functions and discuss approaches to address future challenges in microbial chemical ecology (MCE). We aim to emphasize that future developments in the field of MCE will need to include holistic studies involving organisms at all levels and to consider mechanisms underlying the interactions between viruses, micro-, and macro-organisms in their natural environments.
ISSN:1751-7362
1751-7370
DOI:10.1038/s41396-019-0469-x