RESEARCH ARTICLE The diversity and function of sourdough starter microbiomes Elizabeth A Landis1†, Angela M Oliverio2,3†, Erin A McKenney4,5, Lauren M Nichols4, Nicole Kfoury6, Megan Biango-Daniels1, Leonora K Shell4, Anne A Madden4, Lori Shapiro4, Shravya Sakunala1, Kinsey Drake1, Albert Robbat6, Matthew Booker7, Robert R Dunn4,8, Noah Fierer2,3, Benjamin E Wolfe1* 1Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, United States; 2Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, United States; 3Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, United States; 4Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States; 5North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, United States; 6Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, United States; 7Department of History, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, United States; 8Danish Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Abstract Humans have relied on sourdough starter microbial communities to make leavened bread for thousands of years, but only a small fraction of global sourdough biodiversity has been characterized. Working with a community-scientist network of bread bakers, we determined the microbial diversity of 500 sourdough starters from four continents. In sharp contrast with widespread assumptions, we found little evidence for biogeographic patterns in starter *For correspondence: communities. Strong co-occurrence patterns observed in situ and recreated in vitro demonstrate
[email protected] that microbial interactions shape sourdough community structure. Variation in dough rise rates and † These authors contributed aromas were largely explained by acetic acid bacteria, a mostly overlooked group of sourdough equally to this work microbes. Our study reveals the extent of microbial diversity in an ancient fermented food across Competing interests: The diverse cultural and geographic backgrounds.