More Like this

1. Principles of seed banks and the emergence of complexity from dormancy

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24733-1  

   Lennon, Jay T.; den Hollander, Frank; Wilke-Berenguer, Maite; Blath, Jochen (December 2021, Nature Communications)

   Abstract Across the tree of life, populations have evolved the capacity to contend with suboptimal conditions by engaging in dormancy, whereby individuals enter a reversible state of reduced metabolic activity. The resulting seed banks are complex, storing information and imparting memory that gives rise to multi-scale structures and networks spanning collections of cells to entire ecosystems. We outline the fundamental attributes and emergent phenomena associated with dormancy and seed banks, with the vision for a unifying and mathematically based framework that can address problems in the life sciences, ranging from global change to cancer biology. 

   more » « less
2. Bacteria-phage coevolution with a seed bank

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-023-01449-2  

   Schwartz, Daniel A.; Shoemaker, William R.; Măgălie, Andreea; Weitz, Joshua S.; Lennon, Jay T. (June 2023, The ISME Journal)

   Abstract Dormancy is an adaptation to living in fluctuating environments. It allows individuals to enter a reversible state of reduced metabolic activity when challenged by unfavorable conditions. Dormancy can also influence species interactions by providing organisms with a refuge from predators and parasites. Here we test the hypothesis that, by generating a seed bank of protected individuals, dormancy can modify the patterns and processes of antagonistic coevolution. We conducted a factorially designed experiment where we passaged a bacterial host (Bacillus subtilis) and its phage (SPO1) in the presence versus absence of a seed bank consisting of dormant endospores. Owing in part to the inability of phages to attach to spores, seed banks stabilized population dynamics and resulted in minimum host densities that were 30-fold higher compared to bacteria that were unable to engage in dormancy. By supplying a refuge to phage-sensitive strains, we show that seed banks retained phenotypic diversity that was otherwise lost to selection. Dormancy also stored genetic diversity. After characterizing allelic variation with pooled population sequencing, we found that seed banks retained twice as many host genes with mutations, whether phages were present or not. Based on mutational trajectories over the course of the experiment, we demonstrate that seed banks can dampen bacteria-phage coevolution. Not only does dormancy create structure and memory that buffers populations against environmental fluctuations, it also modifies species interactions in ways that can feed back onto the eco-evolutionary dynamics of microbial communities. 

   more » « less
3. Seed banks alter metacommunity diversity: The interactive effects of competition, dispersal and dormancy

   https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13944  

   Wisnoski, Nathan I.; Shoemaker, Lauren G.; Mordecai, ed., Erin (December 2021, Ecology Letters)

   Abstract Dispersal and dormancy are two common strategies allowing for species persistence and the maintenance of biodiversity in variable environments. However, theory and empirical tests of spatial diversity patterns tend to examine either mechanism in isolation. Here, we developed a stochastic, spatially explicit metacommunity model incorporating seed banks with varying germination and survival rates. We found that dormancy and dispersal had interactive, nonlinear effects on the maintenance and distribution of metacommunity diversity. Seed banks promoted local diversity when seed survival was high and maintained regional diversity through interactions with dispersal. The benefits of seed banks for regional diversity were largest when dispersal was high or intermediate, depending on whether local competition was equal or stabilising. Our study shows that classic predictions for how dispersal affects metacommunity diversity can be strongly influenced by dormancy. Together, these results emphasise the need to consider both temporal and spatial processes when predicting multi‐scale patterns of diversity. 

   more » « less
4. Stabilising role of seed banks and the maintenance of bacterial diversity

   https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13853  

   Wisnoski, Nathan I.; Lennon, Jay T.; Reynolds, ed., Heather (July 2021, Ecology Letters)

   Abstract Coexisting species often exhibit negative frequency dependence due to mechanisms that promote population growth and persistence when rare. These stabilising mechanisms can maintain diversity through interspecific niche differences, but also through life‐history strategies like dormancy that buffer populations in fluctuating environments. However, there are few tests demonstrating how seed banks contribute to long‐term community dynamics and the maintenance of diversity. Using a multi‐year, high‐frequency time series of bacterial community data from a north temperate lake, we documented patterns consistent with stabilising coexistence. Bacterial taxa exhibited differential responses to seasonal environmental conditions, while seed bank dynamics helped maintain diversity over less‐favourable winter periods. Strong negative frequency dependence in rare, but metabolically active, taxa suggested a role for biotic interactions in promoting coexistence. Together, our results provide field‐based evidence that niche differences and seed banks contribute to recurring community dynamics and the long‐term maintenance of diversity in nature. 

   more » « less
5. Resuscitation of the microbial seed bank alters plant‐soil interactions

   https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15932  

   Kuo, Venus; Lehmkuhl, Brent K.; Lennon, Jay T. (May 2021, Molecular Ecology)

   Abstract While microorganisms are recognized for driving belowground processes that influence the productivity and fitness of plant populations, the vast majority of bacteria and fungi in soil belong to a seed bank consisting of dormant individuals. However, plant performance may be affected by microbial dormancy through its effects on the activity, abundance, and diversity of soil microorganisms. To test how microbial seed banks influence plant‐soil interactions, we purified recombinant resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf), a bacterial protein that terminates dormancy. In a factorially designed experiment, we then applied the Rpf to soil containing field mustard (Brassicarapa), an agronomically important plant species. Plant biomass was ~33% lower in the Rpf treatment compared to plants grown with an unmanipulated microbial seed bank. In addition, Rpf reduced soil respiration, decreased bacterial abundance, and increased fungal abundance. These effects of Rpf on plant performance were accompanied by shifts in bacterial community composition, which may have diluted mutualists or resuscitated pathogens. Our findings suggest that changes in microbial seed banks may influence the magnitude and direction of plant‐soil feedbacks in ways that affect above‐ and belowground biodiversity and function. 

   more » « less