The Plant Host Induces Antibiotic Production To Select the Most-Beneficial Colonizers

Our study sheds mechanistic light on how multicellular biofilm units compete to successfully colonize a eukaryote host, usingB. subtilis microbial communities as our lens. The microbiota and its interactions with its host play various roles in the development and prevention of diseases. Using competing beneficial biofilms that are essential microbiota members on the plant host, we found thatB. subtilis biofilms activate collective migration to capture their prey, followed by nonribosomal antibiotic synthesis. Plant hosts increase the efficiency of antibiotic production byB. subtilis biofilms, as they activate the synthesis of polyketides; therefore, our study provides evidence of a mechanism by which the host can indirectly select for beneficial microbiota members.