title: Local adaptation of a bacterium is as important as its presence in structuring a natural microbial community.
abstract: Local adaptation of a species can affect community composition, yet the importance of local adaptation compared with species presence per se is unknown. Here we determine how a compost bacterial community exposed to elevated temperature changes over 2 months as a result of the presence of a focal bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25, that had been pre-adapted or not to the compost for 48 days. The effect of local adaptation on community composition is as great as the effect of species presence per se, with these results robust to the presence of an additional strong selection pressure: an SBW25-specific virus. These findings suggest that evolution occurring over ecological time scales can be a key driver of the structure of natural microbial communities, particularly in situations where some species have an evolutionary head start following large perturbations, such as exposure to antibiotics or crop planting and harvesting.
authors: ESI and CEC, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.|CEBAS-CSIC, Campus Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
authors: Pedro
authors: P
authors: Gómez
authors: Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
authors: Steve
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1307-2981
authors: S
authors: Paterson
authors: Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Luc
authors: L
authors: De Meester
authors: Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
authors: Xuan
authors: X
authors: Liu
authors: Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
authors: Luca
authors: L
authors: Lenzi
authors: CEC, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
authors: M D
authors: MD
authors: Sharma
authors: Common wealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Canberra GPO Box 1700, Australia.
authors: Kerensa
authors: K
authors: McElroy
authors: ESI and CEC, Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
authors: Angus
authors: A
authors: Buckling
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D044822:Biodiversity; D000076282:Composting; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D011551:Pseudomonas fluorescens / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*