Resolving spatiotemporal dynamics in bacterial multicellular populations: approaches and challenges.

ABSTRACT: SUMMARYThe development of multicellularity represents a key evolutionary transition that is crucial for the emergence of complex life forms. Although multicellularity has traditionally been studied in eukaryotes, it originates in prokaryotes. Coordinated aggregation of individual cells within the confines of a colony results in emerging, higher-level functions that benefit the population as a whole. During colony differentiation, an almost infinite number of ecological and physiological population-forming forces are at work, creating complex, intricate colony structures with divergent functions. Understanding the assembly and dynamics of such populations requires resolving individual cells or cell groups within such macroscopic structures. Addressing how each cell contributes to the collec

SUBMITTER: Espinoza Miranda SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11948493 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature