Nutrient competition is considered important for a stable human microbiome, as well as resistance to invasion by pathogens.
A recent mathematical modeling shows that weak resource competition of one microbial strain from another, enables successful invasion, while strong interference competition, enables successful displacement, according to a November 07 2025 report in Nature led by Erik Bakkeren and Vit Piskovsky.
Scientists know that changes in the identity of strains and species can rapidly shift a beneficial community to a harmful one. This study analyzed genetically engineered Escherichia coli (E.coli) whose displacement relies on low resource competition not only between competing strains but also with the broader community. This is significant because it helps scientists understand the displacement of protective gut bacteria by pathogenic bacteria. There are three key elements in this study’s modelling—ecological invasion, nutrient competition and interference competition — all three play a role in bacterial displacement.
This model predicts that invasion is determined by the ability to compete for nutrients sufficiently well to achieve a sufficient initial growth rate.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-02162-w
https://www.nature.com/nmicrobiol/
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