Data from: Construction and characterization of synthetic bacterial community for experimental ecology and evolution

Experimental microbial ecology and evolution have yielded foundational insights into ecological and evolutionary processes using simple microcosm setups and phenotypic assays with one- or two-species model systems. The fields are now increasingly incorporating more complex systems and exploration of the molecular basis of observations. For this purpose, simplified, manageable and well-defined multispecies model systems are required that can be easily investigated using culturing and high-throughput sequencing approaches, bridging the gap between simpler and more complex synthetic or natural systems. Here we address this need by constructing a completely synthetic 33 bacterial strain community that can be cultured in simple laboratory conditions. We provide whole-genome data for all the strains as well as metadata about genomic features and phenotypic traits that allow resolving individual strains by amplicon sequencing and facilitate a variety of envisioned mechanistic studies. We further show that a large proportion of the strains exhibit coexistence in co-culture over serial transfer for 48 days in the absence of any experimental manipulation to maintain diversity. The constructed bacterial community can be a valuable resource in future experimental work.

实验微生物生态学与进化领域，曾通过构建简单微型生态系统（microcosm）、采用单物种或双物种模型系统开展表型分析，为生态与进化过程的研究提供了奠基性见解。当前该领域正愈发侧重纳入更复杂的研究系统，并探索观测结果背后的分子基础。在此背景下，亟需建立简化、易操作且定义明确的多物种模型系统，使其可通过培养与高通量测序（high-throughput sequencing）手段开展便捷研究，从而弥合简单合成/天然系统与复杂合成/天然系统之间的研究鸿沟。为此，本研究构建了一套完全人工合成的33株细菌菌株群落，该群落可在常规实验室简单培养条件下生长。本研究为所有菌株提供了全基因组数据，同时附带基因组特征与表型性状的元数据（metadata），这些数据可通过扩增子测序（amplicon sequencing）实现对单菌株的分辨，并为多种预设的机制研究提供便利。本研究进一步证实，在无需任何维持群落多样性的实验干预的情况下，大部分菌株可在连续传代共培养48天的过程中持续共存。本研究构建的细菌群落有望成为未来实验研究中的宝贵资源。