Analysis of two interacting bacterial populations with opposite substrate preferences.
Interactions between two bacterial species which exhibit opposite substrate preferences in response to the same environmental conditions were investigated. Klebsiella oxytoca preferentially utilizes glucose over citrate as a substrate while Pseudomonas aeruginosa utilizes citrate over glucose. Both species were grown on single as well as mixed substrates, namely, D-glucose and citrate, with various ratios of inocula and substrates. Competition is observed between the two species with citrate alone while amensalism is observed with glucose alone. In mixed cultures-mixed substrates experiments, amensalism of K. oxytoca on P. aeruginosa prevailed until the exhaustion of glucose.
Kim
S U
SU
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716.
Dhurjati
P
P