title: A conceptual framework for invasion in microbial communities.
abstract: There is a growing interest in controlling-promoting or avoiding-the invasion of microbial communities by new community members. Resource availability and community structure have been reported as determinants of invasion success. However, most invasion studies do not adhere to a coherent and consistent terminology nor always include rigorous interpretations of the processes behind invasion. Therefore, we suggest that a consistent set of definitions and a rigorous conceptual framework are needed. We define invasion in a microbial community as the establishment of an alien microbial type in a resident community and argue how simple criteria to define aliens, residents, and alien establishment can be applied for a wide variety of communities. In addition, we suggest an adoption of the community ecology framework advanced by Vellend (2010) to clarify potential determinants of invasion. This framework identifies four fundamental processes that control community dynamics: dispersal, selection, drift and diversification. While selection has received ample attention in microbial community invasion research, the three other processes are often overlooked. Here, we elaborate on the relevance of all four processes and conclude that invasion experiments should be designed to elucidate the role of dispersal, drift and diversification, in order to obtain a complete picture of invasion as a community process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kinnunen
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dechesne
authors.affiliation: Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Caitlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Proctor
authors.affiliation: Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hammes
authors.affiliation: Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quintela-Baluja
authors.affiliation: School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Daffonchio
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Stilianos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fodelianakis
authors.affiliation: Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.affiliation: Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nico
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boon
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
authors.forename: Barth F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Smets
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D064307:Microbiota; D008954:Models, Biological