Looping Network Meetings
#61 January 13, 2025
Monday 15:00 (Paris/Warsaw time)
Haoran Xu (Department of Physics, Zhejiang University)
Pattern Formation in Microbial World
Abstract:
Bacterial colonies demonstrate a remarkable capacity for self-organization, forming complex spatial patterns through the interplay of collective cell behaviors and environmental interactions. These patterns emerge from the coordinated action of fundamental mechanisms, including individual bacterial motility, intercellular communication, and responses to environmental cues. Our investigation reveals distinct pattern types - concentric rings, vortices, fractal structures, and vortex lattices - each reflecting specific combinations of bacterial behavior and environmental conditions. The principles governing these pattern formations extend beyond microbial systems, offering valuable insights for both basic research in microbial ecology and practical applications in biomaterial design and bacterial control strategies for medical and industrial purposes.
Image source: Haoran Xu
Head image credits (from top left):
(1) Corentin Bisot and Loreto Oyarte Galvez,
(2) Claire Lagesse,
(3) Stéphane Douady,
(4) Stanisław Żukowski,
(5) Przemysław Prusinkiewicz,
(6) Andrea Perna,
(7) John Shaw (Google Earth),
(8) Justin Tauber,
(9) Marc Durand.
Contact: s.zukowski [at] uw.edu.pl