Since the earliest microscopic observations, the geometric organisation of cells has captured biologists' interest. Recent work by Gorgi et al. showed that bacterial colony organisation, including biofilms, can be explained across diverse species by radial expansion from fixed initial seeding sites and contact-inhibited growth, with little need for species-specific mechanisms. Here, we extend this geometric framework by incorporating seeding time as an additional driver of colony organisation. Using simulations and analytical models for expected colony size, we show that staggered seeding yields order of magnitude increases in the expected size of early seeded, or founder, colonies. At biologically realistic biofilm growth rates, a 2-day lag between founder and subsequent colony seeding produces an approximately 10-fold increase in expected founder size, while a 1-week lag produces a 25-fold increase. These findings provide a simple geometric basis for priority effects, illustrating temporal advantage alone can generate substantial spatial dominance, with implications for cardiovascular devices where host and bacterial cells compete in a 'race to the surface'.
Honeybrook, L.
Advertisement
Stats
- Recommendations n/a n/a positive of 0 vote(s)
- Views 4
- Comments 0