Our new research, “The structure of pairwise competition is responsible for sudden regime shifts in a microbe-plasmid model”, is now available on EcoEvoRxiv!

In this study, we develop a theoretical microbe-plasmid model to investigate when plasmid-carrying bacteria can invade or be eliminated from microbial populations. We show that heterogeneity in competition between plasmid-bearing and plasmid-free strains can generate bistability, allowing multiple stable outcomes under the same conditions. This structure creates the potential for abrupt regime shifts and hysteresis in plasmid dynamics. Our results provide new insights into how plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance might be controlled or eradicated through targeted interventions.

Read the full paper here: EcoEvoRxiv