Cheater suppression and stochastic clearance through quorum sensing.

ABSTRACT: The evolutionary consequences of quorum sensing in regulating bacterial cooperation are not fully understood. In this study, we reveal unexpected effects of regulating public good production through quorum sensing on bacterial population dynamics, showing that quorum sensing can be a collectively harmful alternative to unregulated production. We analyze a birth-death model of bacterial population dynamics accounting for public good production and the presence of non-producing cheaters. Our model demonstrates that when demographic noise is a factor, the consequences of controlling public good production according to quorum sensing depend on the cost of public good production and the growth rate of populations in the absence of public goods. When public good production is inexpensive, quorum

SUBMITTER: Moffett AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9333318 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature