The micro-scale ecological dynamics of particle attached bacteria in the ocean
Event details
| Date | 05.05.2015 |
| Hour | 16:15 › 17:15 |
| Speaker | Dr Otto Cordero Sanchez, Microbial Population Biology, Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS), ETH Zurich |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Abstract:
At ecosystem scales, particulate organic matter (POM) represents one of the major reservoirs of carbon in the planet, transporting fixed C and N from surface waters to the ocean floor. At micrometer scales, POM consumption is driven by complex ecological dynamics involving diverse communities of bacteria that assemble around particles, disassemble as the ecological opportunities expire and migrate to find new nutrient patches. Because of the enormous diversity of microbes in the environment, this process is likely to involve a large number of species interacting at different points during assembly and disassembly. Yet, little is known about microbial community dynamics at these scales is constrained by the ecological interactions and trade-offs between populations. Using a model system based on chitin-associated communities from the coastal ocean, I will discuss how we can reconstruct community dynamics on particles using a combination of computational and experimental tools. Our results show that community dynamics on chitin particles is ordered in a succession of ‘species’ that attach, grow and then migrate out of particles, all in a highly reproducible manner despite the high diversity of the system. Further analysis of the traits associated with this dynamics, both with cultured isolates as well as with meta-genomics, showed that these complex dynamics are not driven by changes in substrates, but by local biological interactions and ecological trade-offs which structure communities at micro-meter scales. Furthermore, Analysis of pairwise interactions between these bacteria suggests that strong facilitation, and not antagonism, dominates the interaction network of the community and that these positive interactions could increase the total productivity of the system. Overall, these results thus show that important ecosystem processes can be controlled by local interactions networks at micron scales and that synergistic interactions between microbes are common and can have major effects on the performance of multi-species systems.
Short biography:
Having started as a computer scientist and engineer, Otto X. Cordero completed his PhD in Theoretical Biology with Paulien Hogeweg at the University of Utrecht. Then he moved to MIT where he worked with Martin Polz on the population diversity and social interactions of marine vibrios. Otto was awarded an ERC Starting Grant in 2013 and became Assistant Professor of Microbial Population Biology at ETH Zurich.
Starting July 1st 2015, Otto will move his lab to MIT, where he has been appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
At ecosystem scales, particulate organic matter (POM) represents one of the major reservoirs of carbon in the planet, transporting fixed C and N from surface waters to the ocean floor. At micrometer scales, POM consumption is driven by complex ecological dynamics involving diverse communities of bacteria that assemble around particles, disassemble as the ecological opportunities expire and migrate to find new nutrient patches. Because of the enormous diversity of microbes in the environment, this process is likely to involve a large number of species interacting at different points during assembly and disassembly. Yet, little is known about microbial community dynamics at these scales is constrained by the ecological interactions and trade-offs between populations. Using a model system based on chitin-associated communities from the coastal ocean, I will discuss how we can reconstruct community dynamics on particles using a combination of computational and experimental tools. Our results show that community dynamics on chitin particles is ordered in a succession of ‘species’ that attach, grow and then migrate out of particles, all in a highly reproducible manner despite the high diversity of the system. Further analysis of the traits associated with this dynamics, both with cultured isolates as well as with meta-genomics, showed that these complex dynamics are not driven by changes in substrates, but by local biological interactions and ecological trade-offs which structure communities at micro-meter scales. Furthermore, Analysis of pairwise interactions between these bacteria suggests that strong facilitation, and not antagonism, dominates the interaction network of the community and that these positive interactions could increase the total productivity of the system. Overall, these results thus show that important ecosystem processes can be controlled by local interactions networks at micron scales and that synergistic interactions between microbes are common and can have major effects on the performance of multi-species systems.
Short biography:
Having started as a computer scientist and engineer, Otto X. Cordero completed his PhD in Theoretical Biology with Paulien Hogeweg at the University of Utrecht. Then he moved to MIT where he worked with Martin Polz on the population diversity and social interactions of marine vibrios. Otto was awarded an ERC Starting Grant in 2013 and became Assistant Professor of Microbial Population Biology at ETH Zurich.
Starting July 1st 2015, Otto will move his lab to MIT, where he has been appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Practical information
- General public
- Free
- This event is internal
Organizer
- EESS - IIE
Contact
- Dr Andrea Giometto, ECHO