Fractal morphology facilitates Bacillus subtilis biofilm growth

Wang, Jiankun; Li, Xianyong; Kong, Rui; Wu, Jin; Wang, Xiaoling

doi:10.1007/s11356-022-19817-4

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Since the emergence of the concept, fractal structures have been discovered in nearly every field of science [1,2]. Many physical materials exhibit a fractal structure [3][4][5], and bacteria and other organisms follow fractal growth patterns [6,7] as do lightning [8] and river networks [9]. Fractal patterns have been discovered on Mars [10] and in patterns of urban migration and development [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A triangular model of fractal growth with application to adsorptive spin-coating of polymers

Mulder,

Lee,

Chen

2024

PLoS ONE

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Over the last 40 years, applied mathematicians and physicists have proposed a number of mathematical models that produce structures exhibiting a fractal dimension. This work has coincided with the discovery that objects with fractal dimension are relatively common in the natural and human-produced worlds. One particularly successful model of fractal growth is the diffusion limited aggregation (DLA) model, a model as notable for its simplicity as for its complex and varied behavior. It has been modified and used to simulate fractal growth processes in numerous experimental and empirical contexts. In this work, we present an alternative fractal growth model that is based on a growing mass that bonds to particles in a surrounding medium and then exerts a force on them in an iterative process of growth and contraction. The resulting structure is a spreading triangular network rather than an aggregate of spheres, and the model is conceptually straightforward. To the best of our knowledge, this model is unique and differs in its dynamics and behavior from the DLA model and related particle aggregation models. We explore the behavior of the model, demonstrate the range of model output, and show that model output can have a variable fractal dimension between 1.5 and 1.83 that depends on model parameters. We also apply the model to simulating the development of polymer thin films prepared using spin-coating which also exhibit variable fractal dimensions. We demonstrate how the model can be adjusted to different dewetting conditions as well as how it can be used to simulate the modification of the polymer morphology under solvent annealing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A triangular model of fractal growth with application to adsorptive spin-coating of polymers

Mulder,

Lee,

Chen

2024

PLoS ONE

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“…Bacterial populations are no exception to this phenomenon: bacterial biofilms exhibit a variety of internal patterns, from surface and 3D features to complex fractal shapes [2]. Fractal geometry has previously been proposed as a tool for the investigation of microbial growth patterns [3], and it has since been employed to quantify biofilm morphology from microscopy images [4]–[6], to describe colony morphogenesis in Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria [7] and to analyse nutrient-limited growth patterns [5], [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fractal complexity of Escherichia coli nutrient transport channels is influenced by cell shape and growth environment

Bottura,

Rooney,

Feeney

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Recent mesoscopic characterisation of nutrient-transporting channels inE. colihas allowed the identification and measurement of individual channels in whole mature biofilms. However, their complexity under different physiological and environmental conditions remains unknown. Analysis of confocal micrographs of biofilms formed by cell shape mutants ofE. colishows that channels have a high fractal complexity, regardless of cell phenotype or growth medium. In particular, biofilms formed by the mutant strain ΔompR, which has a wide-cell phenotype, have a higher fractal dimension when grown on rich medium than when grown on minimal medium, with channel complexity affected by glucose and agar concentration in the medium. Osmotic stress leads to a dramatic reduction in ΔompRcell size, but has a limited effect on channel morphology. This work shows that fractal image analysis is a powerful tool to quantify the effect of phenotypic mutations and growth environment on the morphological complexity of internalE. colibiofilm structures. If applied to a wider range of mutant strains, this approach could help elucidate the genetic determinants of channel formation inE. colibiofilms.

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Phenotypic variations induced emergence of orientation order and morphology in Bacillus subtilis biofilm growth

Li,

Wu,

Wang

et al. 2023

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

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Fractal morphology facilitates Bacillus subtilis biofilm growth

Cited by 7 publications

References 31 publications

A triangular model of fractal growth with application to adsorptive spin-coating of polymers

A triangular model of fractal growth with application to adsorptive spin-coating of polymers

Fractal complexity of Escherichia coli nutrient transport channels is influenced by cell shape and growth environment

Phenotypic variations induced emergence of orientation order and morphology in Bacillus subtilis biofilm growth

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