Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026
07:40
Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations
Published on: October 29, 2016
Is "Wolf-Pack" Predation by Antimicrobial Bacteria Cooperative? Cell Behaviour and Predatory Mechanisms Indicate
Rupert C Marshall1, David E Whitworth1
1Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3DA, UK.
Summary
Myxobacteria predation, long seen as cooperative, may actually be "selfish." A new model is needed to understand microbial predation, considering factors like relatedness and toxin activity.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Behavioral Ecology
Background:
- Myxobacteria are often cited as models of cooperative social behavior, specifically in group predation.
- This communal predation involves secreting antimicrobial substances into the environment, a behavior termed "public-goods-mediated predation."
- However, empirical evidence for cooperation in myxobacteria predation is limited, especially in natural contexts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the prevailing view of myxobacteria "wolf-pack" predation as cooperative.
- To propose that predatory mechanisms may favor "selfish" behaviors over cooperation.
- To advocate for a comprehensive model of microbial predation.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing laboratory and ecological evidence on myxobacteria predation.
- Theoretical analysis of cooperative versus selfish strategies in microbial interactions.
- Identification of key factors for a holistic model of microbial predation.
Main Results:
- Limited laboratory evidence supports cooperative predation in myxobacteria.
- Accumulating evidence suggests "selfish" predatory mechanisms may be prevalent.
- Conflicting definitions of cooperation and selfish behaviors complicate the understanding of myxobacteria predation.
Conclusions:
- Myxobacteria "wolf-pack" predation is likely not a purely cooperative phenomenon.
- A holistic model incorporating relatedness, social phenotypes, and ecological factors is essential.
- Understanding the evolutionary benefits of costly public-good-mediated behaviors requires further research.
Related Concept Videos
01:03Altruism
Altruistic behaviors are “unselfish” behaviors—those that help another individual at the expense of the individual carrying out the behavior. Despite the negative consequences for the altruistic animal, these behaviors are thought to have evolved for several reasons.
00:57Inclusive Fitness
Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.
02:39Predator-Prey Interactions
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.Although predation is commonly associated with carnivory, for...
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less likely to...
01:26Microbial Interactions: Cooperation
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...
01:28Microbial Interactions: Predation
Microbial predation refers to the process by which one microorganism kills and consumes another to obtain nutrients and energy. It encompasses both bacterial and protozoan predators. This interaction plays a crucial role in shaping microbial communities and regulating nutrient cycling.Bacterial Predators: Epibiotic vs. EndobioticBacterial predators are classified based on their mode of attack as either epibiotic or endobiotic. Epibiotic predators, such as Vampirococcus, attach to the surface of...