The ultimate guide to bacterial swarming: An experimental model to study the evolution of cooperative behavior Review


Authors: Yan, J.; Monaco, H.; Xavier, J. B.
Review Title: The ultimate guide to bacterial swarming: An experimental model to study the evolution of cooperative behavior
Abstract: Cooperation has fascinated biologists since Darwin. How did cooperative behaviors evolve despite the fitness cost to the cooperator? Bacteria have cooperative behaviors that make excellent models to take on this age-old problem from both proximate (molecular) and ultimate (evolutionary) angles. We delve into Pseudomonas aeruginosa swarming, a phenomenon where billions of bacteria move cooperatively across distances of centimeters in a matter of a few hours. Experiments with swarming have unveiled a strategy called metabolic prudence that stabilizes cooperation, have showed the importance of spatial structure, and have revealed a regulatory network that integrates environmental stimuli and direct cooperative behavior, similar to a machine learning algorithm. The study of swarming elucidates more than proximate mechanisms: It exposes ultimate mechanisms valid to all scales, from cells in cancerous tumors to animals in large communities. © 2019 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.
Keywords: pseudomonas aeruginosa; biofilm; rhamnolipids; metabolic prudence; cheater; sociomicrobiology
Journal Title: Annual Review of Microbiology
Volume: 73
ISSN: 0066-4227
Publisher: Annual Reviews  
Date Published: 2019-01-01
Start Page: 293
End Page: 312
Language: English
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-020518-120033
PUBMED: 31180806
PROVIDER: scopus
PMCID: PMC7428860
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 1 October 2019 -- Source: Scopus
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  1. Joao Debivar Xavier
    97 Xavier
  2. Jinyuan Yan
    9 Yan
  3. Hilary Taylor Monaco
    4 Monaco