Mathematical modelling and experimental tests reveal principles that govern displacement of a resident strain by an invader in microbial communities.

Bacteria employ a range of competition systems that deliver toxins to inhibit competing strains. This study shows that these systems are particularly important for the ecology of virulent and antibiot...

Bacteriophages are the most abundant and phylogenetically diverse biological entities on Earth, yet the ecological mechanisms that sustain this extraordinary diversity remain unclear. In this study, w...

3D Whole Cell Model of a Mycoplasma Bacterium Images by Martina Maritan These illustrations show a model of an entire Mycoplasma genitalium cell. The model was created by Martina Maritan and Ludovi...

Diverse communities of commensal gut bacteria collectively limit pathogen colonization by blocking nutrient access.

In situ experiments have demonstrated chemotaxis of marine bacteria and archaea towards specific phytoplankton-derived dissolved organic matter, which leads to microscale partitioning of biogeoch...

In this Review, McCallum and Tropini discuss physical and biological factors that affect microbiota biogeography and organization at different scales, starting with an overview of the whole gut at the...