Bacterial surface colonization, preferential attachment and fitness under periodic stress
Fig 2
PA can confer fitness advantage and there is an optimal attachment threshold.
A. Typical simulation dynamics of population size and nutrient concentration over five diel cycles. In general, the population size increases during the wet periods and decreases during the dry periods. Fluctuations in population size are dictated by nutrient availability, periodic stress and spatial arrangement of the cells. Dynamics presented from a simulation with RA where cells attach and detach at the same constant probability (ARA = D = 0.01 [h−1]) B. Population sizes at the end of a five diel cycle simulations with different PA thresholds (QPA). Each data point is mean±SE of 10 simulations. Pie diagrams represent relative abundance of planktonic and sessile cells. The dashed line represents the population size of the optimal RA simulation, i.e. RA with the highest yield among all tested ARA values. C. Snapshot from the optimal PA strategy (QPA = 12). D. Snapshot from the optimal RA strategy. Snapshots C and D were taken at the end of day 5. Sessile cells are shown in red, planktonic in green.