Literature covered: early 2000s to late 2017 Bacteria frequently exchange metabolites with
other micro-and macro-organisms. In these often obligate cross-feeding interactions, primary …

Microbes are typically surrounded by different strains and species with whom they compete
for scarce nutrients and limited space. Given such challenging living conditions, microbes …

Animal and plant microbiomes encompass diverse microbial communities that colonize
every accessible host tissue. These microbiomes enhance host functions, contributing to …

In nature, bacteria alternate between two modes of growth: a unicellular life phase, in which
the cells are free-swimming (planktonic), and a multicellular life phase, in which the cells are …

Microbial life abounds on surfaces in both natural and industrial environments, one of which
is the food industry. A solid substrate, water and some nutrients are sufficient to allow the …

The advent of relatively inexpensive tools for characterizing microbial communities has led
to an explosion of research exploring the diversity, ecology, and evolution of microbe-host …

Background The human intestine is colonized with trillions of microorganisms important to
health and disease. There has been an intensive effort to catalog the species and genetic …

Bacterial feeding has evolved toward specific evolutionary niches and the sources of energy
differ between species and strains. Although bacteria fundamentally compete for nutrients …

Microorganisms grow in concert, both in natural communities and in artificial or synthetic co-
cultures. Positive interactions between associated microbes are paramount to achieve …

The majority of known bacterial species cannot be cultivated under laboratory conditions.
Here we argue that the adaptive emergence of obligate metabolic interactions in natural …