To reverse engineer dynamics of microbial communities, researchers construct their own

Scientific and public appreciation for microbes -- and the key role their communal actions play in environmental health, food production, and human wellness -- has grown in recent years. While initially considered to be static, uniform entities, microbial communities are highly complex and contain internal chemical swapfests that are in constant flux. Researchers have demonstrated that the dynamics of these communities can be explained and even predicted by examining the variability trait of microbial social interactions.

from Health & Medicine News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200121133303.htm