Local adaptation of a bacterium is as important as its presence in structuring a natural microbial community

Pedro Gómez (), Steve Paterson, Luc De Meester, Xuan Liu, Luca Lenzi, M. D. Sharma, Kerensa McElroy and Angus Buckling
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Pedro Gómez: ESI and CEC, Biosciences, University of Exeter
Steve Paterson: Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool
Luc De Meester: Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, KU Leuven
Xuan Liu: Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool
Luca Lenzi: Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool
M. D. Sharma: CEC, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus
Kerensa McElroy: Common wealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
Angus Buckling: ESI and CEC, Biosciences, University of Exeter

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Local adaptation of a species can affect community composition, yet the importance of local adaptation compared with species presence per se is unknown. Here we determine how a compost bacterial community exposed to elevated temperature changes over 2 months as a result of the presence of a focal bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25, that had been pre-adapted or not to the compost for 48 days. The effect of local adaptation on community composition is as great as the effect of species presence per se, with these results robust to the presence of an additional strong selection pressure: an SBW25-specific virus. These findings suggest that evolution occurring over ecological time scales can be a key driver of the structure of natural microbial communities, particularly in situations where some species have an evolutionary head start following large perturbations, such as exposure to antibiotics or crop planting and harvesting.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12453

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