Tipping Elements in the Human Intestinal Ecosystem

TL;DR

This paper identifies key bacterial groups in the human gut microbiome that act as tipping elements, whose state changes can significantly impact health, based on phylogenetic analysis of microbiota in adults.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of tipping elements in the human intestinal ecosystem, revealing independent bacterial groups with bimodal distributions linked to health factors.

Findings

Identification of bimodal bacterial groups in the gut microbiota

Association of bacterial states with ageing and overweight

Proposal of microbiota tipping elements with health implications

Abstract

Recent studies show that the microbial communities inhabiting the human intestine can have profound impact on our well-being and health. However, we have limited understanding of the mechanisms that control this complex ecosystem. Based on a deep phylogenetic analysis of the intestinal microbiota in a thousand western adults we identified groups of bacteria that tend to be either nearly absent, or abundant in most individuals. The abundances of these bimodally distributed bacteria vary independently, and their contrasting alternative states are associated with host factors such as ageing and overweight. We propose that such bimodal groups represent independent tipping elements of the intestinal microbiota. These reflect the overall state of the intestinal ecosystem whose critical transitions can have profound health implications and diagnostic potential.