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Adaptive evolution in single species bacterial biofilms.

Alison M Kraigsley1, Steven E Finkel

  • 1Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, USA.

FEMS Microbiology Letters
|February 26, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Bacterial biofilms show evolution in real time. Aged Escherichia coli cells from biofilms outcompete younger cells, similar to the growth advantage in stationary phase (GASP) phenotype.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Bacterial Physiology

Background:

  • Bacterial biofilms are complex microbial communities with poorly understood internal dynamics.
  • Cellular processes like growth, death, and evolution within biofilms remain largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the real-time evolutionary dynamics within single-species bacterial biofilms.
  • To determine if prolonged incubation in a biofilm confers a competitive advantage to bacterial cells.

Main Methods:

  • Culturing of single-species Escherichia coli biofilms over 22 days.
  • Competition assays comparing aged biofilm cells against younger biofilm cells.
  • Assessing biofilm formation capabilities of aged versus younger cells on fresh surfaces.

Main Results:

  • Escherichia coli harvested from 22-day-old biofilms exhibited a competitive advantage over cells from younger biofilms.
  • This advantage was evident when aged cells competed within an established biofilm environment.
  • Aged cells did not show enhanced ability to initiate biofilm formation on unoccupied surfaces.

Conclusions:

  • Bacterial biofilms facilitate rapid, heritable evolutionary changes in real time.
  • The observed competitive advantage in aged biofilm cells resembles the growth advantage in stationary phase (GASP) phenotype.
  • These findings have significant implications for understanding bacterial adaptation in diverse environments.