Abstract
Microbial consortia are ubiquitous, and their productivity often correlates with their diversity. However, the history of natural consortia is obscure, making it difficult to ascertain their evolutionary dynamics. Yang et al. (e00051-20) dissected an Escherichia coli consortium that evolved from a single clone in a glucose-limited chemostat. They found that a partnership of genetically differentiated, cross-feeding ecotypes is better able to secure primary and secondary resources and to convert those resources to offspring than either the ancestor or any partner grown in isolation. Such interactions may be a prelude to a form of syntrophy, a key determinant of microbial community structure.
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