Early-bird effect

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The early-bird effect is the advantage a species gains from rapidly using nutrients to establish a large initial population. [1] This initial population advantage can allow a population to persist when nutrients become scarce, even if competitor species are more efficient at extracting scarce nutrients. [2] The effect can be seen when resources vary seasonally, [1] and in laboratory conditions when serial dilutions are taken of microbe cultures. [3]

Contents

Description

The early-bird effect arises in ecosystems where there is a time gap between nutrient addition and species removal. During this gap, species can grow and interact in complex ways. Fast-growing species that deplete their preferred resource early can, despite being less efficient per capita than their competitors, still dominate due to their increased numbers. This dynamic suggests extra benefits to growing fast and early, even at the cost of a penalty later. The early-bird effect may be particularly relevant for understanding changes in gut microbiota. [4]

Key characteristics

Research findings

Studies such as those by Erez et al. (2020), Lopez et al. (2023), and others have explored various aspects of this effect, including its impact on community diversity, species dominance, and the dynamics of microbial communities in response to environmental changes.

Implications

The early-bird effect has significant implications for understanding ecosystem dynamics, species diversity, [5] and survival strategies in various environments. It highlights the importance of growth timing and resource utilization efficiency in competitive ecosystems.

In the context of evolution, beneficial mutations that affect late growth could confer a smaller advantage than those that are beneficial earlier in the cycle due to an "early-bird" effect. [6]

Variations and extensions

References

  1. 1 2 Erez A, Lopez JG, Weiner BG, Meir Y, Wingreen NS (September 2020). "Nutrient levels and trade-offs control diversity in a serial dilution ecosystem". eLife. 9. doi: 10.7554/eLife.57790 . PMC   7486120 . PMID   32915132.
  2. Erez A, Lopez JG, Meir Y, Wingreen NS (October 2021). "Enzyme regulation and mutation in a model serial-dilution ecosystem". Phys Rev E. 104 (4–1): 044412. arXiv: 2104.09769 . Bibcode:2021PhRvE.104d4412E. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.104.044412. PMID   34781576.
  3. 1 2 Lopez JG, Hein Y, Erez A (April 2024). "Grow now, pay later: When should a bacterium go into debt?". Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 121 (16): e2314900121. Bibcode:2024PNAS..12114900L. doi:10.1073/pnas.2314900121. PMC   11032434 . PMID   38588417.
  4. Aranda-Díaz A, Willis L, Nguyen TH, Ho PY, Vila J, Thomsen T, Chavez T, Yan R, Yu FB, Neff N, Sanchez A, Estrela S, Huang KC (April 2025). "Assembly of stool-derived bacterial communities follows "early-bird" resource utilization dynamics". Cell Systems. doi:10.1016/j.cels.2025.101240. PMID   40157357.
  5. Kim Y, Flinkstrom Z, Candry P, Winkler MH, Myung J (2023). "Resource availability governs polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) accumulation and diversity of methanotrophic enrichments from wetlands". Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 11: 1210392. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1210392 . PMC   10425282 . PMID   37588137.
  6. Meroz, Nittay (October 16, 2024). "Evolution in microbial microcosms is highly parallel, regardless of the presence of interacting species" . Cell Systems. 15 (10): 930–940.e5. doi:10.1016/j.cels.2024.09.007. PMID   39419002.