Abstract: Constraint-based modeling has risen as an alternative for characterizing metabolism of communities. Adaptations of Flux Balance Analysis have been proposed to model metabolic interactions, which in most cases consider maximization of biomass production as their objective. In nature, novel essential functions not directly related to cell growth force communities to display suboptimal growth rates. These suboptimal states allow a degree of plasticity in their metabolism, thus allowing quick shifts between alternative flux distributions as an initial response to environmental changes.
In this talk, we introduce the abundance-growth space as a representation of metabolic phenotypes of a community. This space is defined by the composition of a community, represented by its members' relative abundances, and their growth rate. The analysis of this space allows to pinpoint how critical reactions respond to shifts of the environment, showing where changes in community plasticity occur. Interestingly, it highlights the relevance of the relative abundance of its members in the lost or gain of plasticity.
For internal attendees
Symbiose Seminars: https://www.cesgo.org/symbiose/seminars/unveiling-abundance-dependent-m…