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Dynamics of mixed populations having complementary metabolism
Author(s) -
Meyer James S.,
Tsuchiya H. M.,
Fredrickson A. G.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.260170709
Subject(s) - dynamics (music) , population , steady state (chemistry) , biological system , simple (philosophy) , substrate (aquarium) , metabolism , limit (mathematics) , biology , ecology , chemistry , mathematics , physics , biochemistry , demography , mathematical analysis , philosophy , epistemology , sociology , acoustics
Abstract The dynamics of a system of two microbial populations having complementary metabolism are investigated by means of simple mathematical models of growth. Complementary metabolism as used here means that each population produces a substance—not present in the initial or feed medium—required by the other for growth. The simple models indicate that (1) something other than lack of the substrate or growth factor produced by its partner must limit the growth of at least one population and (2) the coexistence steady state of such populations in continuous culture is not stable with respect to large perturbations, though it is stable with respect to a wide range of perturbations.