title: Nutrient availability shapes the microbial community structure in sugarcane bagasse compost-derived consortia.
abstract: Microbial communities (MCs) create complex metabolic networks in natural habitats and respond to environmental changes by shifts in the community structure. Although members of MCs are often not amenable for cultivation in pure culture, it is possible to obtain a greater diversity of species in the laboratory setting when microorganisms are grown as mixed cultures. In order to mimic the environmental conditions, an appropriate growth medium must be applied. Here, we examined the hypothesis that a greater diversity of microorganisms can be sustained under nutrient-limited conditions. Using a 16 S rRNA amplicon metagenomic approach, we explored the structure of a compost-derived MC. During a five-week time course the MC grown in minimal medium with sugarcane bagasse (SCB) as a sole carbon source showed greater diversity and enrichment in lignocellulose-degrading microorganisms. In contrast, a MC grown in nutrient rich medium with addition of SCB had a lower microbial diversity and limited number of lignocellulolytic species. Our approach provides evidence that factors such as nutrient availability has a significant selective pressure on the biodiversity of microorganisms in MCs. Consequently, nutrient-limited medium may displace bacterial generalist species, leading to an enriched source for mining novel enzymes for biotechnology applications.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador São-carlense 400, São Carlos, SP, 13560-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruno L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Mello
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Alessi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McQueen-Mason
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Neil C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador São-carlense 400, São Carlos, SP, 13560-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Polikarpov
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D002482:Cellulose / Q000378:metabolism*; D000076282:Composting; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000502:physiology*; D031786:Saccharum / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002482:Cellulose; C027433:bagasse