Microbial community coalescence: when entire communities meet. #biodiversity - Rillig explains soil.

TL;DR

Microbial community coalescence refers to the encounter and exchange of entire microbial communities, which can occur in various scenarios such as falling leaves, kissing, consuming food, and spreading compost on agricultural fields.

Transcript

imagine the following things there's Leafs falling down and the fall on the ground you given a passionate kiss to your loved one you eating food that passes through your intestinal tract or a load of sewage sludge or compost being spread on the surface of an agricultural field so you might ask what could these things possibly have in common and the... Read More

Key Insights

• ❓ Microbial community coalescence is the meeting and interaction of entire microbial communities, rather than individual species.
• 😘 It occurs in various scenarios, including falling leaves, kissing, consuming food, and spreading compost on agricultural fields.
• 🫦 Microbial community coalescence is common because bits and pieces of the environment containing microbes are constantly being moved.
• 🌥️ Similar patterns of community coalescence are observed at larger spatial and temporal scales for macro organisms.
• 💱 Biotic interchanges, such as the appearance of the Isthmus of Panama, exemplify the intermixing of entire biota and can create significant community changes.
• ♻️ Microbial community coalescence has implications for understanding microbial ecosystems and the transfer of microorganisms between different environments.
• 🍉 The term "microbial community coalescence" provides a tag to better communicate and study these encounters and exchanges between microbial communities.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is microbial community coalescence?

Microbial community coalescence refers to the merging and interaction of entire microbial communities, rather than individual species. It occurs when microbial communities from different sources encounter each other.

Q: How does kissing involve microbial community coalescence?

Kissing involves the exchange of an average of 10,000 microbes, allowing for interaction between the microbial communities present in the oral and skin environments of the individuals involved.

Q: What happens when leaves fall on the ground?

When leaves fall on the ground, they bring their own microbial communities. These communities then encounter and merge with the soil microbial community, leading to microbial community coalescence.

Q: How does consuming food relate to microbial community coalescence?

Food is colonized by microbes, and when consumed, these microbes come into contact with the microbial community in the intestinal tract. This interaction represents microbial community coalescence in the digestive system.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Leaves falling on the ground bring their own microbial communities, which then merge with the soil microbial community.

• Kissing involves the exchange of an average of 10,000 microbes, creating an encounter between the oral and skin microbial communities.

• Consuming food introduces microbes into the gut, where they interact with the existing microbial community.

• Spreading compost or sewage sludge on agricultural fields leads to the meeting of microbial communities from the organic matter and the soil.