Our discovery of well-correlated organisms that probably
cooperate to carry out biogeochemical functions raises exciting
ecological questions. If some of the OEUs do represent consortia
of syntrophic organisms, are the organisms that compose them
physically associated because they inhabit similar particulate
matter? What roles do microbes play within these consortia? Are
these interspecific associations constant over time, or do they
‘reset’ when the lake mixes in the winter? We expect that our combined
framework of surveys, modelling and single-cell genetics will
be useful for in situ, non-perturbative identification of potential ecological
interactions in other microbial ecosystems, painting a picture
of a microbial world filled with complex, interlocking relationships