Microbial Interaction in Chinese Liquor Fermentation

Microbial communities are more than the sum of their members, because of the complex microbial ecological interactions in the community. Understanding the types and mechanism of microbial interactions is essential for advancing microbial ecology [1]. There are different types of microbial interactions, including parasitism (such as bacteria and their bacteriophages), predation (such as ciliates feeding on bacteria), amensalism (one partner negatively affects the other but itself is not affected), competition (both partners compete for resources and both are negatively affected), commensalism (one partner benefits without influencing the other), and mutualism (both partners benefit each other) (Table 14.1). These types can be classified into positive interaction, negative interaction, and neutral interaction.