Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces.

Microbial life in soil is perceived as one of the most interesting ecological systems, with microbial communities exhibiting remarkable adaptability to vast dynamic environmental conditions. At the same time, it is a notoriously challenging system to understand due to its complexity including physic...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Minsu Kim, Dani Or
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2016-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4726620?pdf=render
_version_ 1828761180215181312
author Minsu Kim
Dani Or
author_facet Minsu Kim
Dani Or
author_sort Minsu Kim
collection DOAJ
description Microbial life in soil is perceived as one of the most interesting ecological systems, with microbial communities exhibiting remarkable adaptability to vast dynamic environmental conditions. At the same time, it is a notoriously challenging system to understand due to its complexity including physical, chemical, and biological factors in synchrony. This study presents a spatially-resolved model of microbial dynamics on idealised rough soil surfaces represented as patches with different (roughness) properties that preserve the salient hydration physics of real surfaces. Cell level microbial interactions are considered within an individual-based formulation including dispersion and various forms of trophic dependencies (competition, mutualism). The model provides new insights into mechanisms affecting microbial community dynamics and gives rise to spontaneous formation of microbial community spatial patterns. The framework is capable of representing many interacting species and provides diversity metrics reflecting surface conditions and their evolution over time. A key feature of the model is its spatial scalability that permits representation of microbial processes from cell-level (micro-metric scales) to soil representative volumes at sub-metre scales. Several illustrative examples of microbial trophic interactions and population dynamics highlight the potential of the proposed modelling framework to quantitatively study soil microbial processes. The model is highly applicable in a wide range spanning from quantifying spatial organisation of multiple species under various hydration conditions to predicting microbial diversity residing in different soils.
first_indexed 2024-12-11T01:25:43Z
format Article
id doaj.art-b5464e55e64541908e833253c636b01f
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1932-6203
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-11T01:25:43Z
publishDate 2016-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj.art-b5464e55e64541908e833253c636b01f2022-12-22T01:25:31ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-01111e014739410.1371/journal.pone.0147394Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces.Minsu KimDani OrMicrobial life in soil is perceived as one of the most interesting ecological systems, with microbial communities exhibiting remarkable adaptability to vast dynamic environmental conditions. At the same time, it is a notoriously challenging system to understand due to its complexity including physical, chemical, and biological factors in synchrony. This study presents a spatially-resolved model of microbial dynamics on idealised rough soil surfaces represented as patches with different (roughness) properties that preserve the salient hydration physics of real surfaces. Cell level microbial interactions are considered within an individual-based formulation including dispersion and various forms of trophic dependencies (competition, mutualism). The model provides new insights into mechanisms affecting microbial community dynamics and gives rise to spontaneous formation of microbial community spatial patterns. The framework is capable of representing many interacting species and provides diversity metrics reflecting surface conditions and their evolution over time. A key feature of the model is its spatial scalability that permits representation of microbial processes from cell-level (micro-metric scales) to soil representative volumes at sub-metre scales. Several illustrative examples of microbial trophic interactions and population dynamics highlight the potential of the proposed modelling framework to quantitatively study soil microbial processes. The model is highly applicable in a wide range spanning from quantifying spatial organisation of multiple species under various hydration conditions to predicting microbial diversity residing in different soils.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4726620?pdf=render
spellingShingle Minsu Kim
Dani Or
Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces.
PLoS ONE
title Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces.
title_full Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces.
title_fullStr Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces.
title_full_unstemmed Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces.
title_short Individual-Based Model of Microbial Life on Hydrated Rough Soil Surfaces.
title_sort individual based model of microbial life on hydrated rough soil surfaces
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4726620?pdf=render
work_keys_str_mv AT minsukim individualbasedmodelofmicrobiallifeonhydratedroughsoilsurfaces
AT danior individualbasedmodelofmicrobiallifeonhydratedroughsoilsurfaces