A defined seven-member bacterial consortium assembled as a tractable space-habitat microbiome model from ISS-derived, spacecraft-associated, and biosafety-level-1 strains of genera commonly detected in spacecraft. The consortium contained Staphylococcus capitis K1-2-2-23, Bacillus subtilis W2-B1-K4, Pseudomonas antarctica CMS 35T, Streptococcus halotolerans HTS9T, Propionibacterium cyclohexanicum TA-12T, Micrococcus luteus W4-Al-K1, and Acinetobacter radioresistens 50V1. Equal OD-adjusted suspensions of the seven species were pooled to OD600 0.125 and used for static co-cultivation, early biofilm biomass, desiccation, X-ray irradiation, hydrogen peroxide, and pilot 16S rRNA gene sequencing assays. The study quantified stress survival of B. subtilis and S. capitis as single species and inside the full consortium; consortium context increased B. subtilis survival after 500 Gy X-ray irradiation but lowered recoverable B. subtilis CFU after 24 h co-cultivation in the full community.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staphylococcus capitis K1-2-2-23 — ontology label: Staphylococcus capitis | NCBITaxon:29388 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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| Bacillus subtilis W2-B1-K4 — ontology label: Bacillus subtilis | NCBITaxon:1423 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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| Pseudomonas antarctica CMS 35T — ontology label: Pseudomonas antarctica | NCBITaxon:219572 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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| Streptococcus halotolerans HTS9T — ontology label: Streptococcus halotolerans | NCBITaxon:1814128 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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| Propionibacterium cyclohexanicum TA-12T — ontology label: Propionibacterium cyclohexanicum | NCBITaxon:64702 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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| Micrococcus luteus W4-Al-K1 — ontology label: Micrococcus luteus | NCBITaxon:1270 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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| Acinetobacter radioresistens 50V1 — ontology label: Acinetobacter radioresistens | NCBITaxon:40216 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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Ecological Interactions
The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.
Whole-consortium reduction of recoverable Bacillus subtilis after co-cultivation
After co-cultivation, culturable B. subtilis CFU were significantly lower in the whole seven-member laboratory consortium than in single culture under the tested recovery conditions. This is decreased cultivability, not definitive loss of viability or demonstrated reciprocal negative effects on a pair of partners. The source discusses possible competition, but does not identify a causal partner or confirmed metabolite activity.
Participating Taxa: Bacillus subtilis W2-B1-K4, Staphylococcus capitis K1-2-2-23, Pseudomonas antarctica CMS 35T, Streptococcus halotolerans HTS9T, Propionibacterium cyclohexanicum TA-12T, Micrococcus luteus W4-Al-K1, Acinetobacter radioresistens 50V1
Evidence
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PMID:42577390 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Quantification of viable cells of B. subtilis revealed an increase of CFU/mL when co-cultivated with A. radioresistens and M. luteus , respectively, and decrease of CFU/mL when co-cultivated with S. capitis and P. antarctica , and a statistically significant decrease of CFU/mL when co-cultivated with the whole consortium ( p = 0.008)"
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PMID:42577390 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"reduced CFU recovery corresponds to decreased cultivability rather than definitive loss of viability"
Associated Datasets
| Dataset | Type | Repository | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
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Space-habitat SynCom 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing
16S rRNA gene sequencing data from consortium dynamics after stress exposure. |
AMPLICON_16S | ENA | PRJEB112301 |
Knowledge gaps & discussions (2)
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Which consortium members or metabolites drive the stressor-specific changes in B. subtilis and S. capitis survival inside the full consortium?
The study showed stressor-specific differences between single-species and consortium survival, and it discusses candidate explanations including nutrient release, protective dead-cell material, catalase usage, antimicrobial peptides and biosynthetic gene clusters. The experiments did not identify a causal partner or measured metabolite, so no pairwise protective edge is asserted here.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#Whole-consortium reduction of recoverable Bacillus subtilis after co-cultivation
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Does the reported colony-recovery decrease establish reciprocal competition or loss of viability?
The measured decrease is retained. COMPETITION requires both partners to be negatively affected; this result does not establish that relationship. Candidate genomic functions are not confirmed activity. This metadata review adds no stress-survival procedures or new partner mechanisms.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#Whole-consortium reduction of recoverable Bacillus subtilis after co-cultivation
2 evidence item(s)
reduced CFU recovery corresponds to decreased cultivability rather than definitive loss of viability
The source explicitly limits interpretation of reduced colony recovery.
these findings reflect genomic potential rather than confirmed metabolite activity.
Bounds the source interpretation; no metabolite-mediated causal edge is established.
External Resources
| Name | Repository | Resource ID |
|---|---|---|
|
Primary publication - synthetic space-habitat consortium
Frontiers in Microbiology 2026 primary article describing the seven-member synthetic space-habitat consortium. |
OTHER | PMID:42577390 |
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Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Desiccation stress | 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days | N/A |
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| X-ray irradiation | 50, 100, 250 and 500 Gy | N/A |
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| Hydrogen peroxide exposure | 1.5% and 3% for 45 and 90 min | N/A |
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Growth Media
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