War or Peace: Is There an Ecological Switch in the Microbial World?

The microbial world is shaped by various interactions from cooperation (peace) to competition (war). Revealing the ecological principles driving these interactions is a longstanding challenge in microbial ecology. Convention states that these interactions are genetically determined. However, whether “ecological switch(es)” exist that can shift microbial social behaviors between war and peace? WoP will explore ecological factors that regulate microbial activity and ultimately facilitate directional control towards war or peace between species. The study aims to transform current views on microbial interactions from intrinsic properties to plastic dynamics. This concept is excepted to uncover novel biological mechanisms of how microbes communicate, potentially gaining control over microbial interactions for agricultural, industrial, and ecological applications.