Research Keyword: synthetic communities

MetaFlowTrain: a highly parallelized and modular fluidic system for studying exometabolite-mediated inter-organismal interactions

Scientists developed MetaFlowTrain, a system that allows them to study how different microorganisms communicate through chemical molecules they produce. The system uses tiny connected chambers with filters that let chemical signals pass between microbes but keep the organisms separated. This tool revealed that bacteria can inhibit fungal growth through their chemical products and showed how soil conditions affect microbial community structure and plant health.

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Establishing microbial communities to promote the growth of Pleurotus ostreatus through a top-down approach is hindered by the dominance of antagonistic interactions

Researchers studied how to improve oyster mushroom growth by adding helpful bacteria to the growing substrate. They found that most bacteria actually compete with the mushrooms and slow their growth, making it difficult to create beneficial microbial communities using standard enrichment methods. Only one type of bacterium (Brevundimonas) showed neutral interaction with the mushrooms, while several others actively inhibited growth. The study suggests that future approaches should integrate the mushroom into the enrichment process from the beginning rather than trying to add pre-selected microbial communities afterward.

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