Microbes form dense aggregates, where interactions may drive community function.
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Biological interactions can lead to spatial segregation or local mixing of taxa.
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Interaction-driven spatial patterns are not captured by standard sampling methods.
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Microscale enrichments clarify the role of local interactions on community structure.
In most environments, microbial interactions take place within microscale cell aggregates. At the scale of these aggregates (∼100 μm), interactions are likely to be the dominant driver of population structure and dynamics. In particular, organisms that exploit interspecific interactions to increase ecological performance often co-aggregate. Conversely, organisms that antagonize each other will tend to spatially segregate, creating distinct micro-communities and increased diversity at larger length scales. We argue that, in order to understand the role that biological interactions play in microbial community function, it is necessary to study microscale spatial organization with enough throughput to measure statistical associations between taxa and possible alternative community states. We conclude by proposing strategies to tackle this challenge.
