human gut metagenome Raw sequence reads

Microbial organisms of the human gut microbiome do not exist in isolation, but formcomplex and diverse interactions to maintain health, and reduce risk of diseasedevelopment. The organization of the gut microbiome is assumed to be a singularassortative network, where interactions between operational taxonomic units (OTUs)can readily be clustered into segregated and distinct communities. Here, we leveragerecent methodological advances in network modelling to assess whether communitiesin the human microbiome exhibit a single network structure, or whether co-existingmesoscale network architectures are present. We found evidence for core-peripherystructures in the microbiome, supported by strong, assortative community interactions.This complex architecture, coupled with previously reported functional roles of OTUs,provides a novel understanding of how the microbiome simultaneously promotes highmicrobial diversity and maintains functional redundancy.