Microorganisms, energy sources diversity

In a microbial community, only a few microbes may actually produce the extracellular enzymes needed to hydrolyze insoluble polymers in fibers. Clearly, the microbes that produce these hydrolytic enzymes play a key role in the biodegradation of fibers. However, they do not have an exclusive role in the compete biodegradation of the hydrolysis products. Once a polymer is broken into soluble subunits, other microorganisms in the community can transport these small molecules into their cells and use them as sources of energy and substrates for growth. Thus, in diverse microbial communities, the microorganisms that produce the extracellular hydrolytic enzymes do not consume aU of the organic constituents derived from the fibers. 

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