Understanding Bacterial Interspecies Competition
Within the realm of probiotics lies the study of population dynamics and how they evolve over time across various application protocols.
The use of probiotics in aquaculture has proven to significantly improve survival, growth and yield in all types of culture systems from extensive to hyper-intensive. Application of probiotics is not always based on scientific evidence. This paper is an exploration of bacterial interactions and interspecies competition within blended commercial probiotics, and how they change over time based on type of application and temperature.
Bacteria are constantly competing for space and resources from the moment they germinate. That competition leads to a single species dominated culture. The time it takes to develop a dominant culture is dependent on space, available resources, and temperature. These factors influence which species become dominant as well. Here we look at direct application of probiotics to the pond versus pond side incubation of probiotics.
SUMMARY
Pond side incubation results in major bacterial profile shifts, typically resulting in a single dominant species between 4-6 hours. Direct application maintains a diverse bacterial population for over 8 hours before a major shift to a single dominant species.
Many parameters influence microbial populations and which species become dominant. Temperature, microbial interactions and inhibitory molecules, nutrient base, and volume all play a significant role.
CONCLUSION
Loss of bacterial diversity in pond side incubation products happens quickly. Pond side incubation typically results in a single species being applied to ponds with no bacterial diversity. Direct application of probiotics maintains bacterial diversity allowing every species of bacteria to accomplish its intended purpose in ponds before a single species becomes dominant.
