Microbial Community Structure and Dynamics at the µ-Scale

earning how to predict and control the dynamics of complex networked systems such as microbial communities represents a major scientific and engineering challenge. One possible approach to solve this problem is to identify recurrently emerging dynamics and states. We may then ask what forces drive the capacity for self-organization and how we can use external peturbations to shift the system from one state to another.

Although in many cases microbial community dynamics may appear as stable at macro-scales, at the micro-scales dynamics are characterized by fast growth and collapse cycles. At those small scales, ecological interactions such as social cheating, cross-feeding, antagonism or predation play a significant role in determining the growth and demise of specific populations. Using high-throughput genomics and model ecosystems with micro-scale structure, we are discovering the forces that drive natural community assembly dynamics at micro-scales. The long-term goal is to learn how to design interventions that could shift communities towards more favorable metabolic states.