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Collective motion of spherical bacteria.

Amit Rabani1, Gil Ariel2, Avraham Be'er1

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Summary

Spherical bacteria, Serratia marcescens, exhibit collective motion in suspensions, forming dynamic clusters. This finding challenges previous assumptions that only rod-shaped bacteria display such ordered, correlated cellular movement.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biophysics
  • Soft Matter Physics

Background:

  • Motile bacteria often display collective motion, forming dynamic clusters with correlated cellular movement.
  • Previously, only rod-shaped bacteria were known to exhibit this ordered behavior, attributed to shape-dependent interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate collective dynamics in spherical bacteria, specifically Serratia marcescens.
  • To determine if spherical cells can exhibit robust collective motion and correlated dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Observing Serratia marcescens suspensions and monolayers at the surface of drops.
  • Analyzing bacterial speed distributions, vorticity, and correlation functions.
  • Comparing dynamics of spherical bacteria to rod-shaped bacteria.

Main Results:

  • Spherical Serratia marcescens exhibit robust collective dynamics, including whirls and jets in monolayers.
  • Bacterial speed distribution followed a Rayleigh distribution, with concentration-dependent average speed.
  • Collective motion dynamics were observed in spherical bacteria, similar to rod-shaped species.

Conclusions:

  • Self-propelled spherical objects can form complex, ordered collective motion.
  • Cellular shape (aspect ratio) and alignment may not be essential for ordered collective motion.
  • This study broadens the understanding of collective behavior in microorganisms.