Horizontal Gene Transfer and Ecosystem Function Dynamics

Maarten van de Guchte

doi:10.1016/j.tim.2017.07.002

Horizontal Gene Transfer and Ecosystem Function Dynamics

Trends Microbiol. 2017 Sep;25(9):699-700. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2017.07.002. Epub 2017 Jul 24.

Author

Maarten van de Guchte¹

Affiliation

¹ Micalis Institute, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France. Electronic address: maarten.van-de-guchte@inra.fr.

PMID: 28751120
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2017.07.002

Abstract

Horizontal gene transfer can provide bacteria with new functions that confer an important competitive advantage, and is therefore likely to affect the dynamics of bacterial ecosystems. Two studies by Wolfe et al. and Bonham et al. prepare the way to study this hypothesis in a model ecosystem with reproducible properties.

Keywords: dynamics; ecosystem; horizontal gene transfer.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Bacteria / genetics*
DNA, Bacterial
Ecosystem*
Gene Transfer, Horizontal*
Genome, Bacterial
Models, Genetic
Molecular Dynamics Simulation*

Substances

DNA, Bacterial