Disentangling microbial interaction networks

The structure and function of microbial communities is shaped by intricate ecological interactions amongst the constituent microorganisms. Thus, a mechanistic understanding of emergent community-level functions requires knowledge on how the architecture of the underlying interaction networks affects these properties. To address this, researchers employ different sequencing-based and experimental approaches to infer the topology of a given network. However, it remains generally unclear which method is best suited for quantifying critical network parameters. Here we provide a comparative overview of different approaches serving this purpose, with particular emphasis on their strengths and weaknesses. In this…

• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Award: KO 3909/2-1
• VF
  Volkswagen Foundation

  Award: 9B831
• UO
  Universität Osnabrück