Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Microbial Nutrition

Microbial Nutrition

Organisms exhibit remarkable metabolic diversity, categorized based on how they acquire energy and carbon. These strategies enable survival in various ecological niches and are essential for maintaining energy flow and nutrient cycling within ecosystems.Energy and Carbon SourcesOrganisms are classified as phototrophs or chemotrophs based on energy acquisition. Phototrophs use light as their energy source, while chemotrophs rely on oxidizing chemical compounds. Further differentiation arises...

Biological Methods for Microbial Control

Biological Methods for Microbial Control

Biological agents offer an effective means of controlling microbial growth by leveraging natural processes like predation, competition, and the secretion of antimicrobial substances.Predatory bacteria such as Bdellovibrio species target and kill pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli. They are widely used in poultry farms to control infections. Myxococcus species help combat plant-pathogenic fungi. These naturally occurring predators serve as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides and...

The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition

The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition

Plants have the impressive ability to create their own food through photosynthesis. However, plants often require assistance from organisms in the soil to acquire the nutrients they need to function correctly. Both bacteria and fungi have evolved symbiotic relationships with plants that help the species to thrive in a wide variety of environments.

Microbial Fermentation

Microbial Fermentation

Fermentation is a crucial anaerobic metabolic process that enables microbes to derive energy from sugar without relying on oxygen or an electron transport chain. This process is fundamental to various biological and industrial applications and is classified based on the metabolic products generated.Role of Pyruvate in FermentationPyruvate and its derivatives serve as key electron acceptors in fermentative pathways. The oxidation of NADH to regenerate NAD+ is essential for the continuation of...

Microorganisms in Agriculture and Food industry

Microorganisms in Agriculture and Food industry

Microorganisms play a crucial role in agriculture and the food industry, contributing to soil fertility, crop protection, and food production. Their functions range from nitrogen fixation and biopesticide production to fermentation and food preservation, making them indispensable to sustainable farming and food safety.Role in AgricultureNitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as Rhizobium (symbiotic) and Azotobacter (free-living), convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia through biological nitrogen...

Antimicrobial Effectiveness

Antimicrobial Effectiveness

The effectiveness of antimicrobial agents depends on various factors influencing their ability to eliminate microbial populations. Larger microbial populations require more time for complete eradication, emphasizing the importance of population size analysis when evaluating antimicrobial efficacy.Microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents varies significantly. Highly resilient microorganisms include endospores, gram-negative bacteria, and non-enveloped viruses, while prions are exceptionally...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Physics of microbial taxis and behaviours in response to various physical stimuli.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2025

Same author

Reply to Larsen and Riisgård: Fluid dynamics of choanocyte chambers.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Same author

Hydrodynamic confinement of bacteria within intestinal folds.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2025

Same author

The architecture of sponge choanocyte chambers is well adapted to mechanical pumping functions.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Same author

Surface-active microrobots can propel through blood faster than inert microrobots.

PNAS nexus·2024

Same author

Immotile cilia mechanically sense the direction of fluid flow for left-right determination.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2023

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 15, 2025

Updated Protocol for the Assembly and Use of the Minibioreactor Array (MBRA)

Updated Protocol for the Assembly and Use of the Minibioreactor Array (MBRA)

Published on: September 5, 2025

Microbial Brazil nut effect.

Atul Srivastava¹, Kenji Kikuchi^1,2, Takuji Ishikawa^1,2

¹Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-01 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan. kenji@bfsl.mech.tohoku.ac.jp.

|October 26, 2021

Summary

Microbes create gas bubbles that drive the Brazil nut effect (BNE), causing large particles to segregate in granular media. This microbial BNE was demonstrated in mixtures and for intruder segregation.

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Axenic Rearing of Delia antiqua to Detect the Impact of Intestinal Microbes on Its Growth and Development

Author Spotlight: Axenic Rearing of Delia antiqua to Detect the Impact of Intestinal Microbes on Its Growth and Development

Published on: December 22, 2023

Selective Cleaning of Wild Caenorhabditis Nematodes to Enrich for Intestinal Microbiome Bacteria

Selective Cleaning of Wild Caenorhabditis Nematodes to Enrich for Intestinal Microbiome Bacteria

Published on: August 13, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 15, 2025

Updated Protocol for the Assembly and Use of the Minibioreactor Array (MBRA)

Updated Protocol for the Assembly and Use of the Minibioreactor Array (MBRA)

Published on: September 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: Axenic Rearing of Delia antiqua to Detect the Impact of Intestinal Microbes on Its Growth and Development

Author Spotlight: Axenic Rearing of Delia antiqua to Detect the Impact of Intestinal Microbes on Its Growth and Development

Published on: December 22, 2023

Selective Cleaning of Wild Caenorhabditis Nematodes to Enrich for Intestinal Microbiome Bacteria

Selective Cleaning of Wild Caenorhabditis Nematodes to Enrich for Intestinal Microbiome Bacteria

Published on: August 13, 2021

Area of Science:

Physics
Microbiology
Geology

Background:

The Brazil nut effect (BNE) describes the segregation of large particles in vibrated granular media.
Previous studies primarily focused on mechanical vibrations and shears to induce BNE.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce and demonstrate a novel 'microbial Brazil nut effect' (mBNE).
To investigate the segregation dynamics in granular mixtures and intruder transport induced by microbial activity.

Main Methods:

Utilizing microbe-generated gas bubbles to induce granular fluctuations.
Employing X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) for visualization.
Applying scaling arguments to analyze segregation velocity.

Main Results:

Demonstrated mBNE in both bidisperse granular mixtures and for intruder segregation.
Clarified the transport mechanics of intruders within bubbly granular beds.
Identified the role of microbial gas production in particle segregation.

Conclusions:

Microbial activity can induce a Brazil nut effect in granular media.
The findings suggest mBNE is a ubiquitous phenomenon in natural environments like wet sandy floors.
This effect may influence material distribution in microbe-populated aquatic environments.