RUI: Investigation of Group Behaviors and Biofilm Formation of Photosynthetic Bacteria

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In this project, the PI will study the group behavior of photosynthetic bacteria that are growing in biofilms and in dense populations. The photosynthetic bacteria that are the subjects of this study, the anoxygenic phototroph Rhodopseudomonas palustris and the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, collectively carry out all major modes of metabolism that exist in the bacterial world. The PI will study the effects of different growth pressures on the pattern formation of these bacteria. The PI will grow and analyze the architecture of biofilms that are formed by photosynthetic bacteria which are growing in different metabolic modes. Mathematical models will be developed and compared to experiment to understand the physical principles that underlie the observed growth patterns. Experiments will also be performed to analyze in detail the collective motion of photosynthetic bacteria that are growing at high cell population densities, with system modifications inspired by photosynthetic biofilms. The research will explore a new range of parameter space for biologic pattern formation and collective bacterial motion, providing experimental evidence with which theoretical and simulational models may be compared. This research will be undertaken in an undergraduate-only institution and involves interdisciplinary faculty and student collaborations in applied physics and microbiology. Undergraduate students will be trained in techniques at the interface of these fields, will be co-authors on publications, and students will be expected to present results of this research at local and national meetings. The techniques and finding from this research will be used in the classroom in teaching of biology and physics, and the techniques developed and data obtained from this research will stimulate the development of future interdisciplinary courses.