Lingchong You from Duke University in North Carolina, senior author of the study, said, “It’s like we’re going to parties. There are individuals who really enjoy having large-scale interactions with lots of people. And it will draw energy form that.” There are also people who prefer to be in a smaller setting.
These results may help to understand why your kitchen sponge is a breeding ground for germs. However the purpose of this research was to develop a method to engineer diverse microbial communities capable of producing chemicals of medicinal or technological value.
Researchers used two methods to test E.coli density and presence to arrive at these conclusions. They used plates with varied spatial partitioning levels, from six to 1,536 isolated water wells. The plates revealed that bacteria thrives in areas with high levels of division.
Researchers then did another experiment with a tube and a kitchen sponge. The results showed that sponges have 60% more diverse members than those in well-mixed environments.
You stated that “The degree of spatial partitioning plays an important role in maintaining the diversity of microbial communities.” “And it is possible that the optimal degree partitioning depends on the nature or interactions within a particular bacteria community.
They found that environments that have both large chambers and small wells can support diverse microbial communities.
The results allow us to understand the microbial point-of-view where “distances or spaces are dramatically different” from humans’s view. This was said by Slava Epstein (a professor of microbiology at Northeastern University), who was not involved in this study. Epstein stated that researchers can better understand the impact of scale on microbial interactions by studying the distance between cells. This distance is measured in microns.
Nature’s microbes
Epstein stated that this research could be extended to study the role of spatial division in nature. For example, Epstein said that the study used bacteria grown artificially and controlled in laboratory.
Epstein stated that “Working with well plates clearly shows a very significant role to the size of compartments and whether or not separation exists between such compartments.” “This knowledge will give you the motivation and ammunition to pursue real natural communities.
Although the study does not prove spatial partitioning’s effect on natural microbial communities, You said that he is optimistic that the results will remain consistent. Although researchers are interested in trying out natural microbial communities, You said that bacteria must first learn how to live together.
You stated, “One member will be in charge of one step of this pathway, and another member will take control of another.” “But for this to work, they must co-exist. We need to keep their diversity. Then we use this partitioned environment precisely to help maintain different member.”
