LMP Seminar: Growth and self-organization of bacterial colonies on substrates

Swarming groups of bacteria coordinate their behavior by self-organizing as a population to move over surfaces in search of nutrients and optimal niches for colonization. It is thought that a combination of chemical signaling and physical interactions of individual bacteria with each other and with the environment leads to this collective behavior. This surface motility is thought to precede biofilm formation during infection by different pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. On the onset of biofilm formation, bacteria lose their flagellar motion, attach their pili to the substrate and colonize on the hosting environment. We investigate how this surface attachment of growing bacteria can impact the behavior and expansion of the colony.