Bacteria Optimize Tumble Bias to Strategically Navigate Surface Constraints.

ABSTRACT: In natural environments, solid surfaces present both opportunities and challenges for bacteria. On one hand, they serve as platforms for biofilm formation, crucial for bacterial colonization and resilience in harsh conditions. On the other hand, surfaces can entrap bacteria for extended periods and force them to swim along circular trajectories, constraining their environmental exploration compared to the freedom they experience in the bulk liquid. Here, through systematic single-cell behavioral measurements, phenomenological modeling, and theoretical analysis, how bacteria strategically navigate these factors is revealed. It is observed that bacterial surface residence time decreases sharply with increasing tumble bias from zero, transitioning to a plateau at the mean tumble bias of wild-

SUBMITTER: Tao A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12442700 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature