Experimental studies of microbial communities routinely reveal several stable states. While each of these states is generally resilient, exposure to antibiotics, probiotics , or different diets often trigger transitions to other states. Can we predict which specific perturbations will cause such transitions ? Here we present a new conceptual model - inspired by the stable marriage problem - which both exhibits these emergent phenomena and makes such predictions . Our model's core ingredient is that microbes utilize nutrients one at a time , while competing with each other. Using only two ranked tables  with microbes' nutrient preferences and  competitive abilities, we can determine all the stable states as well as the specific perturbations driving a community from one state to another. Using an example of 7 Bacteroides species utilizing 9 polysaccharides common to the human gut  , we predict that mutual complementarity in nutrient preferences enables these species to coexist at high abundances.
Experimental studies of microbial communities routinely reveal that they have multiple stable states. While each of these states is generally resilient, certain perturbations such as antibiotics, probiotics and diet shifts, result in transitions to other states. Can we reliably both predict such stable states as well as direct and control transitions between them ? Here we present a new conceptual model inspired by the stable marriage problem in game theory and economics in which microbial communities naturally exhibit multiple stable states, each state with a different species' abundance profile . Our model's core ingredient is that microbes utilize nutrients one at a time while competing with each other. Using only two ranked tables , one with microbes' nutrient preferences and one with their competitive abilities, we can determine all possible stable states as well as predict inter-state transitions, triggered by the removal or addition of a specific nutrient or microbe. Further, using an example of 7 Bacteroides species common to the human gut utilizing 9 polysaccharides , we predict that mutual complementarity in nutrient preferences enables these species to coexist at high abundances.
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in game theory and economics in which microbial communities naturally exhibit multiple stable states, each state with a different species' abundance profile
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