A balance between environmental filtering and competitive exclusion modulates the macroecology of alternative stable states in microbial communities
Annamaria Bupu, William R. Shoemaker, Onofrio Mazzarisi, Jacopo Grilli
The paper shows that microbial community structure is shaped by state-dependent competitive exclusion, leading to alternative stable states and reciprocal prevalence patterns among phylogenetically close relatives.
bioRxiv · Dec 22, 2025 · PreprintEcology