@article{2810,
  keywords = {Biofilms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Environment, Microfluidics, Microbial Interactions},
  author = {Carey Nadell and Deirdre Ricaurte and Jing Yan and Knut Drescher and Bonnie Bassler},
  title = {Flow environment and matrix structure interact to determine spatial competition in  biofilms.},
  abstract = { <p>Bacteria often live in biofilms, which are microbial communities surrounded by a secreted extracellular matrix. Here, we demonstrate that hydrodynamic flow and matrix organization interact to shape competitive dynamics in  biofilms. Irrespective of initial frequency, in competition with matrix mutants, wild-type cells always increase in relative abundance in planar microfluidic devices under simple flow regimes. By contrast, in microenvironments with complex, irregular flow profiles - which are common in natural environments - wild-type matrix-producing and isogenic non-producing strains can coexist. This result stems from local obstruction of flow by wild-type matrix producers, which generates regions of near-zero shear that allow matrix mutants to locally accumulate. Our findings connect the evolutionary stability of matrix production with the hydrodynamics and spatial structure of the surrounding environment, providing a potential explanation for the variation in biofilm matrix secretion observed among bacteria in natural environments.</p> },
  year = {2017},
  journal = {Elife},
  volume = {6},
  month = {2017 Jan 13},
  issn = {2050-084X},
  doi = {10.7554/eLife.21855},
  language = {eng},
}