Hemicellulase activity was elevated in pairwise mixtures of communities that placed interacting phylotypes together (interactions, n = 9 mixtures) but not in communities that did not place interacting phylotypes together (no interactions, n = 56 mixtures)
Very interesting way to validate correlative phenotypes in communities
identify mechanistic drivers of microbial activity, infer meaningful interaction networks, and rationally engineer microbial communities.
Mechanistic insights in microbial ecology
we emphasize how processes and interactions at one spatial or temporal scale contribute to emergent processes and properties at larger or longer scales. Most often the emergent processes we investigate are aquatic ecosystem services, including carbon burial, greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient removal, and recreational fisheries
This article discusses, and challenges, some of the often implicit assumptions made in community studies. It suggests greater focus on ecological questions, more critical analysis of accepted concepts and consideration of the fundamental mechanisms controlling microbial processes and interactions in situ