Coexistence of bacteria and feeding ciliates: Growth of bacteria on autochthonous substrates as a stabilizing factor for coexistence.

There is good evidence that the specific feeding and growth rates of a population of suspension-feeding ciliates on a population of bacteria is described by the classic Monod model or something very like it. However, use of this model combined with the assumption that feeding of the ciliates is the only interaction between the populations leads to predictions grossly at variance with experimental observations. A second interaction between the populations, growth of the bacteria on products of lysis, and perhaps metabolism of the ciliates is known to occur and might be an important factor in determining the dynamics of ciliate-bacterial systems. Whether or not this is the case is examined in the present article. It is concluded that accounting for the second interaction does not remove the discrepancies between model predictions and experimental observations. It is concluded also that the second interaction is likely not important except in batchtype situations where the supply of available energy for supporting biological activity is not replenished.