Data from: Strain identity effects contribute more to Pseudomonas community functioning than strain interactions

Microbial communities can shape key ecological services, but the
determinants of their functioning often remain little understood. While
traditional research predominantly focuses on effects related to species
identity (community composition and species richness), recent work
increasingly explores the impact of species interactions on community
functioning. Here, we conducted experiments with replicated small
communities of fluorescent Pseudomonas bacteria to quantify the relative
importance of strain identity versus interaction effects on two important
functions, community productivity and siderophore production. By combining
supernatant and competition assays with an established linear model
method, we show that both factors have significant effects on functioning,
but identity effects generally outweigh strain interaction effects. These
results hold irrespective of whether strains interactions are inferred
statistically or approximated experimentally. Our results have
implications for microbiome engineering, as the success of approaches
aiming to induce beneficial (probiotic) strain interactions will be
sensitive to strain identity effects in many communities.