Abstract
Most studies of bacterial motility have examined small-scale (micrometer–centimeter) cell dispersal in monocultures. However, bacteria live in multispecies communities, where interactions with other microbes may inhibit or facilitate dispersal. Here, we demonstrate that motile bacteria in cheese rind microbiomes use physical networks created by filamentous fungi for dispersal, and that these interactions can shape microbial community structure. Serratia proteamaculans and other motile cheese rind bacteria disperse on fungal networks by swimming in the liquid layers formed on fungal hyphae. RNA-sequencing, transposon mutagenesis, and comparative genomics identify potential genetic mechanisms, including flagella-mediated motility, that control bacterial dispersal on hyphae. By manipulating fungal networks in experimental communities, we demonstrate that fungal-mediated bacterial dispersal can shift cheese rind microbiome composition by promoting the growth of motile over non-motile community members. Our single-cell to whole-community systems approach highlights the interactive dynamics of bacterial motility in multispecies microbiomes.
Highlights
Most studies of bacterial motility have examined small-scale cell dispersal in monocultures
We focus on one common cheese rind bacterium, Serratia proteamaculans, to characterize the mechanisms of bacterial dispersal on different fungal networks
Pairwise interactions between bacteria and fungi can shape the small-scale dispersal dynamics of a single bacterial species, but can impact the diversity of multispecies bacterial communities (Fig. 5)
Summary
Most studies of bacterial motility have examined small-scale (micrometer–centimeter) cell dispersal in monocultures. We demonstrate that motile bacteria in cheese rind microbiomes use physical networks created by filamentous fungi for dispersal, and that these interactions can shape microbial community structure. Small-scale (micrometer–centimeter) dispersal of bacterial cells is one key ecological process that may impact the dynamics of microbial community assembly. A significant body of work from just a few model bacterial species has determined the genetic and biophysical mechanisms of active bacterial dispersal, including swimming, swarming, gliding, twitching, and sliding[8,9]. Almost all of these studies have used monocultures of bacteria in highly simplified laboratory environments to dissect modes and mechanisms of bacterial motility. Fungal networks may shape the composition of bacterial communities by promoting the dispersal and growth of motile bacteria over nonmotile community members
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