Summary Since different wavelengths of light impact different cellular targets, microorganisms exposed to natural sunlight experience a combination of multiple stressors. In order to better understand the effects of sunlight on microorganisms we, therefore, need to understand how different wavelength act alone and in combination. Here, we describe a synergistic effect between UVA and UVB irradiation on viability of Escherichia...

Bacteria typically rely on secreted metabolites, potentially shareable at the community level, to scavenge resources from the environment. The evolution of diffusible, shareable metabolites is, however, difficult to explain because molecules can get lost, or be exploited by cheating mutants. A key question is whether natural selection can act on molecule structure to control loss and shareability. We tested this possibility by...