Recent studies have brought forward the critical role of emergent properties in shaping
microbial communities and the ecosystems of which they are a part. Emergent properties …

Iron is an essential trace element for most organisms. A common way for bacteria to acquire
this nutrient is through the secretion of siderophores, which are secondary metabolites that …

Bacteria often live within matrix-embedded communities, termed biofilms, which are now
understood to be a major mode of microbial life. The study of biofilms has revealed their vast …

Communities of interacting microorganisms play important roles across all habitats on Earth.
These communities typically consist of a large number of species that perform different …

Organisms as simple as bacteria can engage in complex collective actions, such as group
motility and fruiting body formation. Some of these actions involve a division of labor, where …

Biofilms are consortia of microorganisms that form collectives through the excretion of
extracellular matrix compounds. The importance of biofilms in biological, industrial and …

By consuming and producing environmental resources, organisms inevitably change their
habitats. The consequences of such environmental modifications can be detrimental or …

Many microorganisms secrete molecules that interact with resources outside of the cell. This
includes, for example, enzymes that degrade polymers like chitin, and chelators that bind …

Metabolite exchange among co-growing cells is frequent by nature, however, is not
necessarily occurring at growth-relevant quantities indicative of non-cell-autonomous …

Bacteria typically rely on secreted metabolites, potentially shareable at the community level,
to scavenge resources from the environment. The evolution of diffusible, shareable …