Redox-active humics support interspecies syntrophy and shift microbial community

Abstract

The network of microbial electron transfer can establish a syntrophic association of microbes by connecting interspecies metabolisms, and a variety of redox-active shuttles in environment have been proved to accelerate the electron flow in a microbial community. Using humic substances as models, we investigated how different redox-active shuttles with different electrochemical properties influence interspecies electron transfer, and affect the shift of microbial communities. The co-culture of two species was constructed with supplements of humics, and the electron transfer between these two strains was found to be linked by humic acid with a wider window of redox potential and multi-peaks of redox reactions. Based on the shift of microbial composition, the humic substances with a wide potential window and multi-peaks of redox reactions for accepting and donating electrons could increase the biodiversity (Chao 1 and phylogenetic diversity) with a large extent. The mechanism by which redox-active shuttles mediate the microbial electron transfer network could facilitate our understanding of syntrophic interactions between microbes.