Stochastic colonization of hosts with a finite lifespan can drive individual host microbes out of equilibrium

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008392
• Publication Date: 2020-11-02T18:48:41Z
• Authors: Román Zapién-Campos; Michael Sieber; Arne Traulsen
• Keywords: Stochastic Processes; 0303 health sciences; Host Microbial Interactions; QH301-705.5; Microbiota; Longevity; Computational Biology; Mathematical Concepts; Models, Biological; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; 03 medical and health sciences; Drosophila melanogaster; Animals; Humans; Computer Simulation; Biology (General); Caenorhabditis elegans; Zebrafish; Research Article

Macroorganisms are inhabited by microbial communities that often change through the lifespan of an individual. One of the factors contributing to this change is colonization from the environment. The colonization of initially microbe-free hosts is particularly interesting, as their microbiome depends entirely on microbes of external origin. We present a mathematical model of this process with a particular emphasis on the effect of ecological drift and a finite host lifespan. Our results indicate the host lifespan becomes especially relevant for short-living organisms (e.g. Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, and Danio rerio). In this case, alternative microbiome states (often called enterotypes), the coexistence of microbe-free and colonized hosts, and a reduced probability of colonization can be observed in our model. These results unify multiple reported observations around colonization and suggest that no selective or deterministic drivers are necessary to explain them.