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Microbes compete with animals for food by making it stink

11-01-2006 · EurekAlert!

Microbes may compete with large animal scavengers by producing repugnant chemicals that deter higher species from consuming valuable food resources, a new study suggests.Ecologists have long recognized microbes as decomposers and pathogens in ecological communities. But their role as classic consumers who produce chemicals to compete with larger animals could be an important and common interaction within many ecosystems, according to a paper published this week in the journal Ecology.

Keywords: microbes, compete, animals, food, making, stink, microbe, animal

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