title: Biofilms: Microbial Cities Wherein Flow Shapes Competition.
abstract: The phenotypic diversity in biofilms allows bacteria to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Stochastic gene expression and structural differentiation are believed to confer phenotypic diversity. However, two recent publications demonstrate how hydrodynamic flow and substrate topography can also alter the competitive outcomes of different bacterial phenotypes, increasing biofilm phenotypic variation.
authors.affiliation: Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551.
authors.forename: Su Chuen
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.affiliation: Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551. Electronic address: YangLiang@ntu.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D018441:Biofilms; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000378:metabolism; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D056265:Microbial Interactions; D010641:Phenotype; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers
keywords: Biofilms; Competition; Extracellular polymeric substances; Flow; Phenotypic diversity; Shear