SIMBIOS Centre, University of Abertay, Dundee, United Kingdom.
Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Aug 31;109(9):098102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.098102. Epub 2012 Aug 29.
Using a network representation for real soil samples and mathematical models for microbial spread, we show that the structural heterogeneity of the soil habitat may have a very significant influence on the size of microbial invasions of the soil pore space. In particular, neglecting the soil structural heterogeneity may lead to a substantial underestimation of microbial invasion. Such effects are explained in terms of a crucial interplay between heterogeneity in microbial spread and heterogeneity in the topology of soil networks. The main influence of network topology on invasion is linked to the existence of long channels in soil networks that may act as bridges for transmission of microorganisms between distant parts of soil.
利用真实土壤样本的网络表示和微生物传播的数学模型，我们表明土壤生境的结构异质性可能对土壤孔隙空间中微生物入侵的规模有非常显著的影响。特别是，忽略土壤结构的异质性可能会导致对微生物入侵的严重低估。这种影响可以用微生物传播的异质性和土壤网络拓扑结构的异质性之间的关键相互作用来解释。网络拓扑结构对入侵的主要影响与土壤网络中长通道的存在有关，这些长通道可能充当微生物在土壤的遥远部分之间传播的桥梁。
