Akulturering

Akulturering, or co-cultivation, is the practice of cultivating two or more species in the same environment or culture system with the aim of studying their interactions or improving production. It sits alongside monoculture, where only a single species is grown. Akulturering is used across fields such as microbiology, plant science, aquaculture, and fermentation, and can involve microorganisms, plants, animals, or combinations of these. The core idea is to create communities that exhibit interactions like mutualism, syntrophy, competition, or commensalism, which can enhance resilience, nutrient use, or product yields.

Applications and goals vary by domain. In microbiology and fermentation, mixed cultures can produce a broader range of metabolites, improve digestion or flavor, and increase process stability. In agriculture, co-cultivation or intercropping aims to improve nutrient uptake, pest suppression, or soil health. In aquaculture, polyculture combines species to optimize feeding efficiency and water quality. In biotechnology, engineered microbial consortia can perform complex biotransformations that single strains cannot.

Methods and design considerations include selecting compatible partners, balancing growth rates and nutrient needs, and choosing appropriate spatial arrangements (mixed vs compartmentalized) and inoculation sequences. Monitoring is essential to maintain stability, as one species can overgrow others. Scale-up challenges include maintaining performance and preventing contamination.

Examples range from fermentation systems with mixed cultures (such as certain yogurts, kefir, or sourdough ecosystems) to probiotic consortia and biocontrol communities in agriculture. Intercropping in crop production is a plant-based analogue to akulturering, emphasizing complementary species rather than shared culture vessels.

See also: monoculture, intercropping, microbial ecology, fermentation, symbiosis.