Temporal variability in nutrient use among Streptomyces suggests dynamic niche partitioning

Soil bacteria spend significant periods in dormant or semi-dormant states that are interrupted by resource pulses which can lead to periods of rapid growth and intense nutrient competition. Microbial populations have evolved diverse strategies to circumvent competitive interactions and facilitate coexistence. Here, we show that nutrient use of soilborne Streptomyces is temporally partitioned during experimental resource pulses, leading to reduced niche overlap, and potential coexistence. Streptomyces grew rapidly on the majority of distinct 95 carbon sources but varied in which individual resources were utilized in the first 24 h. Only a handful of carbon sources (19 out of 95) were consistently utilized (>95% of isolates) most rapidly in the first 24 h. These consistently utilized carbon sources also generated the majority of biomass accumulated by isolates. Our results shed new light on a novel mechanism microbes may employ to alleviate competitive interactions by temporally partitioning the consumption of carbon resources. As competitive interactions have been proposed to drive the suppression of disease-causing microbes in agronomic soils, our findings may hold widespread implications for soil management for plant health.