In the bacterial world, life is crowded. Bacteria grow next to competitors, all trying to access space, nutrients, and survival. Some bacteria release molecules that act at a distance. Others need to get much closer.
Burkholderia bacteria prefer close-range microbial competition, using their contact-dependent growth inhibition systems. This means that some Burkholderia can interfere with neighbouring bacteria through direct contact.
Yet, some strains have other superpowers. For example, Burkholderia xenovorans produces polyhydroxyalkanoate, or PHA, a polymer used as a green bioplastic. Hence, in the bacterial world, one genus can hold many stories. Burkholderia reminds us to look closely before choosing just one.
Like all organisms, plants need nitrogen to grow and produce crops. But since they cannot directly use nitrogen from the atmosphere, they rely on bacteria to fix the nitrogen for them. In exchange, plants provide them with sugars, energy and protection from their surroundings. Read on to learn more about the nitrogen-fixing superpower of bacteria and why it is crucial for our global food production.
Producing plastics requires a lot of energy, which is a massive burden for the environment. Fortunately, bacteria already know how to make sustainable versions of plastics which we can use in our everyday life. Learn why bacteria produce natural plastics and why these molecules can help us save this planet.