Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, United States
Angela M Oliverio
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, United States; Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, United States
Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States; North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, United States
Lauren M Nichols
Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States
Nicole Kfoury
Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, United States
Megan Biango-Daniels
Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, United States
Leonora K Shell
Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States
Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States
Lori Shapiro
Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States
Shravya Sakunala
Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, United States
Kinsey Drake
Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, United States
Albert Robbat
Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, United States
Matthew Booker
Department of History, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States
Robert R Dunn
Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States; Danish Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, United States; Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, United States
Humans have relied on sourdough starter microbial communities to make leavened bread for thousands of years, but only a small fraction of global sourdough biodiversity has been characterized. Working with a community-scientist network of bread bakers, we determined the microbial diversity of 500 sourdough starters from four continents. In sharp contrast with widespread assumptions, we found little evidence for biogeographic patterns in starter communities. Strong co-occurrence patterns observed in situ and recreated in vitro demonstrate that microbial interactions shape sourdough community structure. Variation in dough rise rates and aromas were largely explained by acetic acid bacteria, a mostly overlooked group of sourdough microbes. Our study reveals the extent of microbial diversity in an ancient fermented food across diverse cultural and geographic backgrounds.
