The bacteriumPseudomonas aeruginosasenses and gradually responds to interspecific competition for iron

• DOI: 10.1111/evo.13491
• Publication Date: 2018-04-17T17:00:23Z
• Authors: Anne Leinweber; Michael Weigert; Rolf Kümmerli
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; 1105 Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; 10126 Department of Plant and Microbial Biology; 1311 Genetics; Ecology; Evolution; Genetics; 1100 General Agricultural and Biological Sciences; 580 Plants (Botany); Microbiology

Phenotypic plasticity in response to competition is a well‐described phenomenon higher organisms. Here, we show that also bacteria have the ability sense presence of competitors and mount fine‐tuned responses match prevailing levels competition. In our experiments, studied interspecific for iron between bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) its competitor Burkholderia cenocepacia (BC). We focused on PA phenotypically adjust production pyoverdine, an iron‐scavenging siderophore. found upregulates pyoverdine early during under condition low availability. This plastic upregulation was level imposed by BC, seems confer relative fitness benefit form earlier initiation growth. At later time points, however, showed reduced growth mixed compared monoculture, suggesting competitive are costly. Altogether, results demonstrate phenotypic siderophore plays important role iron. Upregulating may be powerful strategy lock away from competing species, reserve this nutrient strain members possessing compatible receptor uptake.