Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Habitat geometry in artificial microstructure affects bacterial and fungal growth, interactions, and substrate degradation

Arellano-Caicedo, Carlos LU ; Ohlsson, Pelle LU orcid ; Bengtsson, Martin LU ; Beech, Jason P. LU and Hammer, Edith C. LU (2021) In Communications Biology 4(1).
Abstract

Microhabitat conditions determine the magnitude and speed of microbial processes but have been challenging to investigate. In this study we used microfluidic devices to determine the effect of the spatial distortion of a pore space on fungal and bacterial growth, interactions, and substrate degradation. The devices contained channels differing in bending angles and order. Sharper angles reduced fungal and bacterial biomass, especially when angles were repeated in the same direction. Substrate degradation was only decreased by sharper angles when fungi and bacteria were grown together. Investigation at the cellular scale suggests that this was caused by fungal habitat modification, since hyphae branched in sharp and repeated turns,... (More)

Microhabitat conditions determine the magnitude and speed of microbial processes but have been challenging to investigate. In this study we used microfluidic devices to determine the effect of the spatial distortion of a pore space on fungal and bacterial growth, interactions, and substrate degradation. The devices contained channels differing in bending angles and order. Sharper angles reduced fungal and bacterial biomass, especially when angles were repeated in the same direction. Substrate degradation was only decreased by sharper angles when fungi and bacteria were grown together. Investigation at the cellular scale suggests that this was caused by fungal habitat modification, since hyphae branched in sharp and repeated turns, blocking the dispersal of bacteria and the substrate. Our results demonstrate how the geometry of microstructures can influence microbial activity. This can be transferable to soil pore spaces, where spatial occlusion and microbial feedback on microstructures is thought to explain organic matter stabilization.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Communications Biology
volume
4
issue
1
article number
1226
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85118215231
  • pmid:34702996
ISSN
2399-3642
DOI
10.1038/s42003-021-02736-4
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).
id
fbd0cdb2-1bd8-4fac-96a9-b653b0444d44
date added to LUP
2021-11-22 11:40:12
date last changed
2024-06-15 20:58:33
@article{fbd0cdb2-1bd8-4fac-96a9-b653b0444d44,
  abstract     = {{<p>Microhabitat conditions determine the magnitude and speed of microbial processes but have been challenging to investigate. In this study we used microfluidic devices to determine the effect of the spatial distortion of a pore space on fungal and bacterial growth, interactions, and substrate degradation. The devices contained channels differing in bending angles and order. Sharper angles reduced fungal and bacterial biomass, especially when angles were repeated in the same direction. Substrate degradation was only decreased by sharper angles when fungi and bacteria were grown together. Investigation at the cellular scale suggests that this was caused by fungal habitat modification, since hyphae branched in sharp and repeated turns, blocking the dispersal of bacteria and the substrate. Our results demonstrate how the geometry of microstructures can influence microbial activity. This can be transferable to soil pore spaces, where spatial occlusion and microbial feedback on microstructures is thought to explain organic matter stabilization.</p>}},
  author       = {{Arellano-Caicedo, Carlos and Ohlsson, Pelle and Bengtsson, Martin and Beech, Jason P. and Hammer, Edith C.}},
  issn         = {{2399-3642}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Communications Biology}},
  title        = {{Habitat geometry in artificial microstructure affects bacterial and fungal growth, interactions, and substrate degradation}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02736-4}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s42003-021-02736-4}},
  volume       = {{4}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}