mBio (Feb 2021)

Competitive Exclusion and Metabolic Dependency among Microorganisms Structure the Cellulose Economy of an Agricultural Soil

  • Roland C. Wilhelm,
  • Charles Pepe-Ranney,
  • Pamela Weisenhorn,
  • Mary Lipton,
  • Daniel H. Buckley

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.03099-20
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1

Abstract

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Our study reveals the ecogenomic traits of microorganisms participating in the cellulose economy of soil. We identified three major categories of participants in this economy: (i) independent primary degraders, (ii) interdependent primary degraders, and (iii) secondary consumers (mutualists, opportunists, and parasites).