Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 2, 2025

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations
Published on: October 29, 2016
Rhythmic Spatial Self-Organization of Bacterial Colonies
Francesca Sartor1, Ákos T Kovács2
1Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
Abstract:
Bacteria display a remarkable capacity to organize themselves in space and time within biofilms. Traditionally, the spatial organization of biofilms has been dissected vertically; however, biofilms can exhibit complex, temporally structured, two-dimensional radial patterns while spreading on a surface. Kahl and colleagues report a ring pattern that indicates the alternating redox metabolism of P. aeruginosa biofilms under light/dark cycles. Does the presence of a rhythmic, daily phenotype imply a circadian rhythm? Here, we highlight several examples of rhythmic patterns reported in the literature for surface-colonizing multicellular assemblies and discuss the conceptual requirements for proving the presence of a prokaryotic circadian clock behind pattern formation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Bacterial Signaling
Flagella and Motility in Bacteria
Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria
Microbial Morphologies
Coordination of Gene Expression Processes in Bacteria
Chemotaxis in E. coli

