Trade-offs have been put forward as essential to the generation and maintenance of diversity. However, variation in trade-offs is often determined at the molecular level, outside the scope of conventional ecological inquiry. In this study, we propose that understanding the intracellular basis for trade-offs in microbial systems can aid in predicting and interpreting patterns of diversity. First, we show how laboratory experiments and mathematical models have unveiled the hidden intracellular mechanisms underlying trade-offs key to microbial diversity: (i) metabolic and regulatory trade-offs in bacteria and yeast; (ii) life-history trade-offs in bacterial viruses. Next, we examine recent studies of marine microbes that have taken steps toward reconciling the molecular and the ecological views of trade-offs, despite the challenges in doing so in natural settings. Finally, we suggest avenues for research where mathematical modelling, experiments and studies of natural microbial communities provide a unique opportunity to integrate studies of diversity across multiple scales. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.
CITATION STYLE
Gudelj, I., Weitz, J. S., Ferenci, T., Claire Horner-Devine, M., Marx, C. J., Meyer, J. R., & Forde, S. E. (2010). An integrative approach to understanding microbial diversity: From intracellular mechanisms to community structure. Ecology Letters, 13(9), 1073–1084. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01507.x
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