The assembly of microbial communities in engineered ecosystems

Abstract

Understanding the development of community pattern is a central focus of ecological research. Microbiologists are currently applying concepts derived from ecological studies of plants and animals, as well as developing specific tools to interpret patterns of diversity, with the aim of gaining insight into the processes that drive community structure. Biological waste treatment plants are engineered ecosystems designed to provide specific services, which prevent the pollution of natural ecosystems and the spread of sewage-borne diseases. Bacterial communities within these systems appear as unique model systems for deciphering the effects of niche apportionment, migration, resource availability, and the many other possible factors affecting community assembly