The Pareto principle: to what extent does it apply to resource acquisition in stable microbial communities and thereby steer their geno-/ecotype compositions and interactions between their members?

• Main Authors: Timmis, Kenneth, Verstraete, Willy, Regina, Viduthalai Rasheedkhan, Hallsworth, John E.
• Other Authors: Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences and Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Science::Biological sciences::Ecology; Pareto Principle; Microbial Community
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168740
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The Pareto principle, or 20:80 rule, describes resource distribution in stable communities whereby 20% of community members acquire 80% of a key resource. In this Burning Question, we ask to what extent the Pareto principle applies to the acquisition of limiting resources in stable microbial communities; how it may contribute to our understanding of microbial interactions, microbial community exploration of evolutionary space, and microbial community dysbiosis; and whether it can serve as a benchmark of microbial community stability and functional optimality?