Community ecology of phages on a clonal bacterial host

Pyenson, N. C.; Leeks, A.; Nweke, O.; Goldford, J.; Turner, P.; Foster, K. R.; Sanchez, A.

doi:10.1101/2023.09.01.555216

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.09.01.555216

Community ecology of phages on a clonal bacterial host

Pyenson, N. C.·Leeks, A.·Nweke, O.·Goldford, J.·Turner, P.·Foster, K. R.·Sanchez, A.

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Abstract

Bacteriophages are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on Earth, yet the ecological mechanisms that sustain this extraordinary diversity remain unclear. Here, we have discovered a general mechanism that allows phage diversity to outstrip the diversity of their bacterial hosts. We assembled and passaged dozens of diverse phage communities on a single, non-coevolving strain of Escherichia coli until the phage communities reached equilibrium. In all cases, we found multiple phage species coexisted stably, despite competition for a single, clonal host population. Coexistence within these communities was supported through host phenotypic heterogeneity, whereby phages specialized on cells adopting different growth phenotypes. Our experiments reveal a rich community ecology of bacteriophages where multiple phage species coexist and interact at the scale of a single bacterial host. One-Sentence SummaryDiverse communities of phages emerge stably and consistently on a clonal bacterial host, enabled by phenotypic heterogeneity.

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Pyenson, N. C., Leeks, A., Nweke, O., Goldford, J., Turner, P., Foster, K. R., Sanchez, A.. 2023-09-01. Community ecology of phages on a clonal bacterial host. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.01.555216

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