Context-dependent siderophore exploitability shapes microbial community structure

ARChive

Abstract

Siderophores are classically viewed as shared iron-scavenging public goods, yet their ecological roles in multispecies communities remain poorly defined. Here, we establish a synthetic microbial community to dissect how different siderophores, their uptake compatibility and spatial structure shape iron competition. Using Corynebacterium glutamicum as a model, we show that this siderophore non-producer accesses diverse xenosiderophores, including enterobactin secreted by Escherichia coli. However, exploitation was constrained and co-cultures converged to stable compositions. Dose-response experiments combined with mathematical modelling indicated that the producer retains more effective access to enterobactin than the exploiter. Presence of Pseudomonas putida altered this interaction, as it exploited enterobactin while producing pyoverdine, a siderophore inaccessible to the other community members that restricted their iron access. Across different cultivation scales, community dynamics was strongly influenced by spatial organization and initial composition. These findings identify siderophores as context-dependent iron-allocation agents that can promote microbial coexistence or exclusion.

Authors 18

1. A. Krüger

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Bio- and Geosciences 1, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany; Institute for Microbial Interactions, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

2. Sanga Paik

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, IMET, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

3. Michelle Bund

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Bio- and Geosciences 1, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

4. Matthias Pesch

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Bio- and Geosciences 1, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

5. Stephan Krueger

   Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   CEPLAS Metabolism and Metabolomics Laboratory, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

6. Benita Lückel

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Bio- and Geosciences 1, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

7. Johanna Wiechert

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Bio- and Geosciences 1, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

8. Tanvir Hassan
9. Ulrike Weber
10. Romain Allelan
11. Sander H. J. Smits

    Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Structural Studies, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

12. Michael H. Bott

    Forschungszentrum Jülich

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute for Bio- and Geosciences 1, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

13. Ákos T. Kovács
14. Philipp Westhoff

    Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

    Affiliation as printed

    CEPLAS Metabolism and Metabolomics Laboratory, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

15. Anna Matuszyńska Aachen Computational Life Science Department of Biology

    RWTH Aachen University

    Affiliation as printed

    Computational Life Science, Department of Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

16. Dietrich Kohlheyer

    Forschungszentrum Jülich

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute for Bio- and Geosciences 1, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

17. Thomas Drepper

    Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, IMET, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

18. Julia Frunzke

    Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute for Bio- and Geosciences 1, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany; Institute for Microbial Interactions, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany