Bacteria need to communicate with their neighbours to understand their surroundings. This bacterial communication is happening everywhere, even inside our bodies!
This mechanism, known as quorum sensing, allows bacteria to “talk” to each other using chemical molecules. Just as we use words in a specific language to convey messages, bacteria release special molecules that act as their language. Different bacterial families use different molecules—similar to how we use various languages to communicate with people around us.
When enough bacteria are present and producing these molecules, they recognize their abundance. This enables them to coordinate certain behaviours as a group. For example, bacterial communication can trigger several strategies:
Coordination: Bacteria can synchronize their activities, such as releasing toxins or forming biofilms.
Adaptation: They can adjust to environmental changes more effectively as a group.
Resource management: Communication helps bacteria use nutrients more efficiently.
Defence: Some bacteria use communication to protect themselves against antibiotics or the host’s immune system.
Microbes are everywhere. And some have superpowers that allow them to grow in extremely challenging and harsh environments. Especially at the dark and cold bottom of the sea, extremophiles flourish since they interact with other microbes and eat pollutants and contaminants. Interestingly, their microbial activities can also impact our global climate.
When thinking of bacteria, you might have the picture of a single cell in your mind. But interestingly, some bacteria come as multicellular organisms with advanced functions. Here, we will learn what multicellular bacteria are and why bacteria form multicellular organisms. We will then look at some colourful examples of multicellular bacteria.
Bacteria can form outer membrane vesicles and fill them with antibiotics. They then send these toxic bubbles off to kill competing bacteria.
Bacteria have powerful killing machines with which they carve out their own niches. To kill competitors, bacteria from the Vibrio family, have a powerful crossbow and its arrows availble. However, these bacteria can decide whether they risk a kill and take up what’s left of the dead prey or they escape the dangerous situation. Here, we look at how bacteria decide to kill or flee.
Cable bacteria are long chains of bacteria that transport electrons within this chain. In this fascinating bacterial cable, these bacteria then conduct electricity.
When bacteria are under attack, they are telling their siblings about the incoming danger. This allows them to produce weapons – like the molecule bacteriocin – to prepare themselves for a counterattack. With this altruistic behaviour, bacteria assemble and fight back as a team.
Bacteria can be major problems for human health. One of the reasons for that is because they have the ability to hide in their own houses. Such a house is called a bacterial biofilm which protect bacteria from harsh environments, toxic chemicals and to form a community within the biofilm.
Bacteria use a stick weapon to kill other bacteria that do not belong to their family. This stick is the so-called contact-dependent growth inhibition weapon – a very complex killing device. Read on to learn about this weapon.
When bacteria are hungry, they sometimes also need the help of their friends. In that case, bacteria can build little tubes between them to exchange nutrients. With this bacterial nanotube, they can exchange nutrients and thus feed each other to make sure everyone survives.
Bacteria need to communicate with their neighbours to understand their surroundings. This bacterial communication is happening everywhere, even inside our bodies!
This mechanism, known as quorum sensing, allows bacteria to “talk” to each other using chemical molecules. Just as we use words in a specific language to convey messages, bacteria release special molecules that act as their language. Different bacterial families use different molecules—similar to how we use various languages to communicate with people around us.
When enough bacteria are present and producing these molecules, they recognize their abundance. This enables them to coordinate certain behaviours as a group. For example, bacterial communication can trigger several strategies:
Coordination: Bacteria can synchronize their activities, such as releasing toxins or forming biofilms.
Adaptation: They can adjust to environmental changes more effectively as a group.
Resource management: Communication helps bacteria use nutrients more efficiently.
Defence: Some bacteria use communication to protect themselves against antibiotics or the host’s immune system.
