An integrative approach to understanding microbial diversity: from intracellular mechanisms to community structure

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 1073–1084 Abstract Trade‐offs have been put forward as essential to the generation and maintenance of diversity. However, variation in trade‐offs is often determined at the molecular level, outside the scope of conventional ecological inquiry. In this study, we propose that understanding the intracellular basis for trade‐offs in microbial systems can aid in predicting and interpreting patterns of diversity. First, we show how laboratory experiments and mathematical models have unveiled the hidden intracellular mechanisms underlying trade‐offs key to microbial diversity: (i) metabolic and regulatory trade‐offs in bacteria and yeast; (ii) life‐history trade‐offs in bacterial viruses. Next, we examine recent studies of marine microbes that have taken steps toward reconciling the molecular and the ecological views of trade‐offs, despite the challenges in doing so in natural settings. Finally, we suggest avenues for research where mathematical modelling, experiments and studies of natural microbial communities provide a unique opportunity to integrate studies of diversity across multiple scales.