TY - JOUR T1 - Horizontal Gene Transfer Can Help Maintain the Equilibrium of Microbial Communities JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/201426 SP - 201426 AU - Yuhang Fan AU - Yandong Xiao AU - Babak Momeni AU - Yang-Yu Liu Y1 - 2017/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/10/11/201426.abstract N2 - Horizontal gene transfer and species coexistence are two focal points in the study of microbial communities. The evolutionary advantage of horizontal gene transfer has not been well-understood and is constantly being debated. Here we propose a simple population dynamics model based on the frequency-dependent interactions between different genotypes to evaluate the influence of horizontal gene transfer on microbial communities. We find that both structural stability and robustness of the microbial community are strongly affected by the gene transfer rate and direction. An optimal gene flux can stablize the ecosystem, helping it recover from disturbance and maintain the species coexistence. ER -