Leave or Stay: Simulating Motility and Fitness of Microorganisms in Dynamic Aquatic Ecosystems
Motility is a key adaptation factor in scarce marine environments inhabited by bacteria. The question of how a capacity for adaptive migrations influences the success of a microbial population in various conditions is a challenge addressed in this study. We employed the agent-based model of competit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/10/1019 |
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| author | Alexandra Klimenko Yury Matushkin Nikolay Kolchanov Sergey Lashin |
| author_facet | Alexandra Klimenko Yury Matushkin Nikolay Kolchanov Sergey Lashin |
| author_sort | Alexandra Klimenko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Motility is a key adaptation factor in scarce marine environments inhabited by bacteria. The question of how a capacity for adaptive migrations influences the success of a microbial population in various conditions is a challenge addressed in this study. We employed the agent-based model of competition of motile and sedentary microbial populations in a confined aquatic environment supplied with a periodic batch nutrient source to assess the fitness of both. Such factors as nutrient concentration in a batch, batch period, mortality type and energetic costs of migration were considered to determine the conditions favouring different strategies: Nomad of a motile population and Settler of a sedentary one. The modelling results demonstrate that dynamic and nutrient-scarce environments favour motile populations, whereas nutrient-rich and stagnant environments promote sedentary microorganisms. Energetic costs of migration determine whether or not the Nomad strategy of the motile population is successful, though it also depends on such conditions as nutrient availability. Even without penalties for migration, under certain conditions, the sedentary Settler population dominates in the ecosystem. It is achieved by decreasing the local nutrient availability near the nutrient source, as motile populations relying on a local optimizing strategy tend to follow benign conditions and fail, enduring stress associated with crossing the valleys of suboptimal nutrient availability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:43:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6e85c0a74b854dada933d810458923eb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:43:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-6e85c0a74b854dada933d810458923eb2023-11-22T17:28:32ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372021-10-011010101910.3390/biology10101019Leave or Stay: Simulating Motility and Fitness of Microorganisms in Dynamic Aquatic EcosystemsAlexandra Klimenko0Yury Matushkin1Nikolay Kolchanov2Sergey Lashin3Systems Biology Department, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Lavrentiev Avenue 10, 630090 Novosibirsk, RussiaSystems Biology Department, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Lavrentiev Avenue 10, 630090 Novosibirsk, RussiaSystems Biology Department, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Lavrentiev Avenue 10, 630090 Novosibirsk, RussiaSystems Biology Department, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Lavrentiev Avenue 10, 630090 Novosibirsk, RussiaMotility is a key adaptation factor in scarce marine environments inhabited by bacteria. The question of how a capacity for adaptive migrations influences the success of a microbial population in various conditions is a challenge addressed in this study. We employed the agent-based model of competition of motile and sedentary microbial populations in a confined aquatic environment supplied with a periodic batch nutrient source to assess the fitness of both. Such factors as nutrient concentration in a batch, batch period, mortality type and energetic costs of migration were considered to determine the conditions favouring different strategies: Nomad of a motile population and Settler of a sedentary one. The modelling results demonstrate that dynamic and nutrient-scarce environments favour motile populations, whereas nutrient-rich and stagnant environments promote sedentary microorganisms. Energetic costs of migration determine whether or not the Nomad strategy of the motile population is successful, though it also depends on such conditions as nutrient availability. Even without penalties for migration, under certain conditions, the sedentary Settler population dominates in the ecosystem. It is achieved by decreasing the local nutrient availability near the nutrient source, as motile populations relying on a local optimizing strategy tend to follow benign conditions and fail, enduring stress associated with crossing the valleys of suboptimal nutrient availability.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/10/1019motilitymigratory costsmarine bacteriaagent-based modellingecological modelling |
| spellingShingle | Alexandra Klimenko Yury Matushkin Nikolay Kolchanov Sergey Lashin Leave or Stay: Simulating Motility and Fitness of Microorganisms in Dynamic Aquatic Ecosystems Biology motility migratory costs marine bacteria agent-based modelling ecological modelling |
| title | Leave or Stay: Simulating Motility and Fitness of Microorganisms in Dynamic Aquatic Ecosystems |
| title_full | Leave or Stay: Simulating Motility and Fitness of Microorganisms in Dynamic Aquatic Ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Leave or Stay: Simulating Motility and Fitness of Microorganisms in Dynamic Aquatic Ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leave or Stay: Simulating Motility and Fitness of Microorganisms in Dynamic Aquatic Ecosystems |
| title_short | Leave or Stay: Simulating Motility and Fitness of Microorganisms in Dynamic Aquatic Ecosystems |
| title_sort | leave or stay simulating motility and fitness of microorganisms in dynamic aquatic ecosystems |
| topic | motility migratory costs marine bacteria agent-based modelling ecological modelling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/10/1019 |
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