
In nature, bacterial collectives typically consist of multiple species, which are interacting both biochemically and physically. Nonetheless, past studies on the physical properties of swarming bacteria were focused on axenic (single species) populations. In bacterial swarming, intricate interactions between the individuals lead to clusters, rapid jets and vortices that depend on cell characteristics such as speed and length. In this work, we show the first results of rapidly swarming mixed-species populations of {\sl Bacillus subtilis} and {\sl Serratia marcescens}, two model swarm species that are known to swarm well in axenic situations. In mixed liquid cultures, both species have higher reproduction rates. We show that the mixed population swarms together well and that the fraction between the species determines all dynamical scales - from the microscopic (e.g. speed distribution), mesoscopic (vortex size) and macroscopic (colony size structure). Understanding mixed-species swarms is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the bacterial swarming phenomenon and its biological and evolutionary implications.
Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph), Humans, Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft), FOS: Physical sciences, Physics - Biological Physics, Condensed Matter - Soft Condensed Matter, Bacillus subtilis
Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph), Humans, Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft), FOS: Physical sciences, Physics - Biological Physics, Condensed Matter - Soft Condensed Matter, Bacillus subtilis
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 3 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
