title: Community priming--effects of sequential stressors on microbial assemblages.
abstract: Microbes in nature are exposed to complex environmental stressors which challenge their functioning or survival. Priming is the improved reaction of an organism to an environmental stressor following a preceding, often milder stress event. This phenomenon, also known as cross-protection, predictive response strategy or acquired stress resistance, is becoming an increasingly well-established research topic in microbiology, which has so far been examined from the perspective of a single organism or population. However, microbes in nature occur as part of communities; thus it is timely to highlight the need to also include this level beyond the individual species in studies of priming effects. We here introduce a conceptual framework for such studies at the level of the microbial assemblage and also chart a way forward for empirical and theoretical study. We illustrate some of the elements of our framework with a simple simulation model. Given the dynamic habitat of many microbes, incorporating priming is important for a more complete understanding of microbial community responses to stress.
authors: Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Plant Ecology, D-14195 Berlin, Germany Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), D-14195 Berlin, Germany rillig@zedat.fu-berlin.de.
authors: Matthias C
authors: MC
authors: Rillig
authors: Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Evolutionary Biology, D-14195 Berlin, Germany Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Jens
authors: J
authors: Rolff
authors: Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Biodiversity/Ecological Modeling, D-14195 Berlin, Germany Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Britta
authors: B
authors: Tietjen
authors: Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Plant Ecology, D-14195 Berlin, Germany Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Jeannine
authors: J
authors: Wehner
authors: Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Biologie, Plant Ecology, D-14195 Berlin, Germany Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Diana R
authors: DR
authors: Andrade-Linares
mesh_terms: D017753:Ecosystem; D005658:Fungi / Q000502:physiology*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000502:physiology*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000502:physiology*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: model systems; predictive response strategy; stress