title: Multispecies Swarms of Social Microorganisms as Moving Ecosystems.
abstract: Microorganisms use collective migration to cross barriers and reach new habitats, and the ability to form motile swarms offers a competitive advantage. Traditionally, dispersal by microbial swarm propagation has been studied in monoculture. Microorganisms can facilitate other species' dispersal by forming multispecies swarms, with mutual benefits. One party (the transporter) moves a sessile partner (the cargo). This results in asymmetric associations ranging from temporary marriages of convenience to long-term fellow travellers. In the context of the 'microbial market', the parties offer very different services in exchange. We discuss bacteria transporting bacteria, eukaryotic microorganisms moving bacteria, and bacteria facilitating the spread of eukaryotes - and ask what the benefits are, the methods of study, and the consequences of multispecies, swarming logistics networks.
authors.affiliation: Sackler School of Medicine, Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel; Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Eshel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ben-Jacob
authors.affiliation: Sackler School of Medicine, Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.
authors.forename: Alin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Finkelshtein
authors.affiliation: Department Mathematics, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ariel
authors.affiliation: MicroDish BV, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: colinutrecht@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ingham
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D017753:Ecosystem; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology; D059013:Microbial Consortia; D056265:Microbial Interactions; D008954:Models, Biological
keywords: cooperation; motility; swarming; transporting and cargo microorganisms