Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Microbial Interactions: Cooperation01:26

Microbial Interactions: Cooperation

42
Microbial cooperation involves beneficial interactions in which different species work together for individual or mutual advantage. These interactions can profoundly influence ecological dynamics and evolutionary processes, and they are essential to many pathogenic and symbiotic relationships.Nematode–Bacteria CooperationA striking example is the relationship between the Gram-negative bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila and the parasitic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae. Juvenile nematodes...
42
Microbial Interactions: Mutualism01:25

Microbial Interactions: Mutualism

47
Mutualism is a symbiotic interaction in which all participating organisms benefit. These relationships can be obligate or facultative and are fundamental to ecosystem functions across diverse biological systems.Plant–Fungi MutualismOne well-known example is the association between plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi, such as Rhizophagus species. The fungal hyphae penetrate the root hairs and the epidermis, forming an extensive hyphal network that establishes a symbiotic association. Through...
47
Microbial Interactions: Competition01:26

Microbial Interactions: Competition

65
Microbial competition is an ecological interaction in which microorganisms vie for limited resources within shared environments. These resources may include nutrients, space, or light, depending on the system. The intensity and outcome of competition are influenced by the environmental context, such as nutrient availability, spatial constraints, and the diversity of microbial species present. These competitive interactions significantly influence the structure, function, and resilience of...
65
Microbial Interactions: Parasitism01:22

Microbial Interactions: Parasitism

77
Parasitism is a form of microbial interaction in which parasitic microbes exploit a host organism for nutrients and shelter, often at the host's expense. Unlike mutualistic relationships, where both organisms benefit, parasitism benefits only the parasite and harms the host.Classification of ParasitesMicrobial parasites are broadly classified based on their location relative to the host.Ectoparasites remain on the host’s surface, such as the skin or outer tissues, drawing nutrients...
77
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing01:28

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

913
Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
913
Introduction to the Human Microbiota01:22

Introduction to the Human Microbiota

100
Microorganisms colonize various regions of the human body, including the mouth, nasal passages, throat, stomach, intestines, urogenital tract, and skin. The total number of microbial cells is estimated to range from 10¹³ to 10¹⁴—comparable to, or exceeding, the number of human somatic cells. This host–microbiome relationship has led to the conceptualization of humans as supraorganisms, wherein microbial communities perform vital roles in development, immunity,...
100

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Genetically homogeneous sector morphologies emerge from anisotropic colony growth.

Physical review. E·2026
Same author

Transition from traveling fronts to diffusion-limited growth in expanding populations.

Physical review. E·2026
Same author

Transition from traveling fronts to diffusion-limited growth in expanding populations.

ArXiv·2026
Same author

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single- and multiple-dose phase 1 study of VE202, a defined bacterial consortium for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease: safety and colonization dynamics of a novel live biotherapeutic product in healthy adults.

European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology·2025
Same author

A mechanistic statistical approach to infer invasion characteristics of human-dispersed species with complex life cycle.

Ecological monographs·2025
Same author

Biophysical metabolic modeling of complex bacterial colony morphology.

Cell systems·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations
07:40

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Published on: October 29, 2016

11.7K

Public good diffusion limits microbial mutualism.

Rajita Menon1, Kirill S Korolev2

  • 1Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|May 9, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Game theory can model microbial interactions using diffusion-renormalized parameters. Surprisingly, increased metabolite sharing weakens cooperation, causing species extinction through a nonequilibrium phase transition.

More Related Videos

High Throughput Co-culture Assays for the Investigation of Microbial Interactions
07:00

High Throughput Co-culture Assays for the Investigation of Microbial Interactions

Published on: October 15, 2019

11.0K
Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains
06:45

Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains

Published on: January 18, 2014

9.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations
07:40

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Published on: October 29, 2016

11.7K
High Throughput Co-culture Assays for the Investigation of Microbial Interactions
07:00

High Throughput Co-culture Assays for the Investigation of Microbial Interactions

Published on: October 15, 2019

11.0K
Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains
06:45

Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains

Published on: January 18, 2014

9.1K

Area of Science:

  • Microbial ecology
  • Theoretical biology
  • Chemical ecology

Background:

  • Standard game theory struggles to model microbial interactions involving diffusible molecules.
  • Understanding the dynamics of microbial communities is crucial for ecological and evolutionary studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To adapt game theory for modeling microbial interactions mediated by diffusible molecules.
  • To investigate the impact of metabolite diffusion on cooperation and species coexistence.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a game theory model with diffusion-renormalized parameters.
  • Analyzed microbial dynamics and cooperation strength.
  • Investigated nonequilibrium phase transitions and critical diffusivity.

Main Results:

  • Greater sharing of public goods (metabolites) paradoxically reduces cooperation.
  • Increased diffusion can lead to species extinction via a nonequilibrium phase transition.
  • Identified critical diffusivity and intermixing length scales.

Conclusions:

  • Game theory can be extended to model microbial dynamics with diffusion.
  • Metabolite diffusion has complex, non-intuitive effects on microbial community structure and stability.
  • Selection favors slower public good production when fitness saturates.