Microcolony and biofilm formation as a survival strategy for bacteria
Authored by Leah R Johnson
Date Published: 2008
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2007.10.039
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Abstract
Bacterial communities such as biofilms are widely recognized as being
important for survival and persistence of bacteria in harsh
environments. Mechanistic models of biofilm growth indicate that the way
in which the surface is seeded can effect the morphology of simulated
biofilms. Experimental studies indicate that genes which are important
for chemotaxis also influence biofilm formation, perhaps by influencing
aggregation on a surface. Understanding aggregation and microcolony
formation could therefore help clarify factors influencing biofilm
formation and illuminate how groups influence the fitness of bacteria.
In this paper I develop an individual based model to examine how
different behaviors involved in microcolony formation on a surface
determine patterns of group sizes and link patterns to bacterial
fitness. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tags
Dynamics
Model
Aggregation
Fish
Natural mortality
El-tor