Syntrophy

Syntrophy, synthrophy, cross-feeding, or cross feeding is the phenomenon that one species lives off the products of another species. In this association, the growth of one partner is improved, or depends on the nutrients, growth factors or substrate provided by the other partner. Jan Dolfing described syntrophy as 'the critical interdependency between producer and consumer'. This term for nutritional interdependence is often used in microbiology to describe this symbiotic relationship between bacterial species. Morris et al. have described the process as 'obligately mutualistic metabolism'. Syntrophy, synthrophy, cross-feeding, or cross feeding is the phenomenon that one species lives off the products of another species. In this association, the growth of one partner is improved, or depends on the nutrients, growth factors or substrate provided by the other partner. Jan Dolfing described syntrophy as 'the critical interdependency between producer and consumer'. This term for nutritional interdependence is often used in microbiology to describe this symbiotic relationship between bacterial species. Morris et al. have described the process as 'obligately mutualistic metabolism'.