title: The impact of resource availability on bacterial resistance to phages in soil.
abstract: Resource availability can affect the coevolutionary dynamics between host and parasites, shaping communities and hence ecosystem function. A key finding from theoretical and in vitro studies is that host resistance evolves to greater levels with increased resources, but the relevance to natural communities is less clear. We took two complementary approaches to investigate the effect of resource availability on the evolution of bacterial resistance to phages in soil. First, we measured the resistance and infectivity of natural communities of soil bacteria and phage in the presence and absence of nutrient-providing plants. Second, we followed the real-time coevolution between defined bacteria and phage populations with resource availability manipulated by the addition or not of an artificial plant root exudate. Increased resource availability resulted in increases in bacterial resistance to phages, but without a concomitant increase in phage infectivity. These results suggest that phages may have a reduced impact on the control of bacterial densities and community composition in stable, high resource environments.
authors: Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom.
authors: Pedro
authors: P
authors: Gómez
authors: Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom.
authors: Jonathan
authors: J
authors: Bennie
authors: Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom.
authors: Kevin J
authors: KJ
authors: Gaston
authors: Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom; Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, United Kingdom.
authors: Angus
authors: A
authors: Buckling
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D017105:Pseudomonas Phages / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D011551:Pseudomonas fluorescens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012988:Soil Microbiology