Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: Bacteria frequently colonize natural microcavities such as gut crypts, plant apoplasts, and soil pores. Recent studies have shown that the physical structure of these spaces plays a crucial role in shaping the stability and resilience of microbial populations (1, 2). Here, we demonstrate that protected microhabitats can emerge dynamically, even in the absence of physical barriers. Interactions with surface features—such as roughness or friction—lead microbial populations to self-organize into effectively segregated subpopulations. Our numerical and analytical models reveal that this self-organization persists even when strains have different growth rates, allowing slower-growing strains to avoid competitive exclusion. These findings suggest that emergent spatial structuring can serve as a fundamental mechanism for maintaining microbial diversity, despite selection pressures, competition, and genetic drift.
Authors: Valentin Slepukhin, Víctor Peris Yagüe, Christian Westendorf, Birgit Koch, Oskar Hallatschek
Institutions: Leipzig University, University of California, Berkeley
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4409011597