Single Nanoparticle Tracking Reveals Efficient Long-Distance Undercurrent Transport in Upper Fluid of Bacterial Swarms

Jingjing Feng, Zexin Zhang, Xiaodong Wen, Jianfeng Xue, Yan He*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Flagellated bacteria move collectively in a swirling pattern on agar surfaces immersed in a thin layer of viscous “swarm fluid,” but the role of this fluid in mediating the cooperation of the bacterial population is not well understood. Herein, we use gold nanorods (AuNRs) as single particle tracers to explore the spatiotemporal structure of the swarm fluid. Individual AuNRs are moving in a plane of ∼2 μm above swarms, traveling for long distances in high speed without interferences from bacterial movements. The particles are lifted and transported by collective mixing of small vortices around bacteria during localized clustering and de-clustering of motile cells. Their motions fit the Lévy walk model, revealing efficient fluidic flows above the swarms. These flows provide obstacle-free highways for long-range material transportations, allow swarming bacteria to perform population-level communications, and imply the essential role of the fluid phase on the emergence of large-scale synergy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)123-132
Number of pages10
JournaliScience
Volume22
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Dec 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Biological Sciences
  • Biophysics
  • Laser Biophysics
  • Transport Phenomena

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