Zahraa S. Al-tameemi

Microbial cross-feeding interactions reshape evolutionary trajectories of consumers by preserving motility.

This study shows that cross-feeding interactions influence consumer evolution by altering selective pressures on motility, with resource origin determining whether flagellar genes are lost or maintained.

Unilateral cross-feeding constrains adaptive evolution, even in the producer without direct fitness effects.

This study shows that unilateral cross-feeding interactions constrain adaptive evolution in both producer and consumer microbes, even when the producer experiences no direct fitness effects.

Microbial diversification is maintained in an experimentally evolved synthetic community.

This study shows that microbial diversification in a synthetic community is influenced by interspecies interactions, with cross-feeding promoting coexistence of two morphotypes.