Fig. 2: Value of metabolic heterogeneity for comammox Nitrospira.
From: Competitive and substrate limited environments drive metabolic heterogeneity for comammox Nitrospira
A Impact of metabolic heterogeneity on the survival of comammox Nitrospira under hypoxic conditions (1.0 and 1.5 µM of O2) applying equimolar feeding (NH3:NO2:NO3 = 500:500:500 µM) and non-equimolar feeding (NH3:NO2:NO3 = 500:375:500 µM). MF – simulation experiments considering metabolic flexibility in Nitrospira; oCMX – simulation experiments considering that Nitrospira only performs CMX activity. Asterisks denote p-value significance where *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001. B Ecological analysis at floc level under conditions where comammox Nitrospira and anammox bacteria remained active (1.0 and 1.5 µM of O2). Ammonia feeding (NH3:NO2:NO3 = 500:0:0 µM, left panels); equimolar feeding (NH3:NO2:NO3 = 500:500:500 µM, center panels); non-equimolar feeding (NH3:NO2:NO3 = 500:500:500 µM, right panels). Kendall’s τ values of metabolisms are presented on a color scale. Dotted cells indicate p-value significance where ▪p < 0.05; ▪▪p < 0.01; ▪▪▪p < 0.001. Cross symbol (x) indicates no co-existence of the metabolic pair at the end of the simulation experiments. Bottom-right labels indicate the ecological interaction of metabolic pair: CC – Commensalism + Competition; SC – Syntrophism + Competition; C – Competition. Sample sizes employed for Kendall’s τ calculation are shown in Supplementary Fig. S5.
