Bacterial flagellar motility on hydrated rough surfaces controlled by aqueous film thickness and connectedness.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have shown that rates of bacterial dispersion in soils are controlled by hydration conditions that define size and connectivity of the retained aqueous phase. Despite the ecological implications of such constraints, microscale observations of this phenomenon remain scarce. Here, we quantified aqueous film characteristics and bacterial flagellated motility in response to systematic variations in microhydrological conditions on porous ceramic surfaces that mimic unsaturated soils. We directly measured aqueous film thickness and documented its microscale heterogeneity. Flagellar motility was controlled by surface hydration conditions, as cell velocity decreased and dispersion practically ceased at water potentials exceeding -2 kPa (resulting in thinner and disconnected liquid f

SUBMITTER: Tecon R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4725831 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature