Kin Discrimination Modifies Strain Distribution, Spatial Segregation, and Incorporation of Extracellular Matrix Polysaccharide Mutants of Bacillus subtilis Strains into Mixed Floating Biofilms

Abstract

Biofilm communities have beneficial and harmful effects on human societies in natural, medical, and industrial environments. Bacillus subtilis is a biotechnologically important bacterium that serves as a model for studying biofilms. Recent studies have shown that this species engages in kin discriminatory behavior during swarming, which may have implications for community assembly, thus being of fundamental importance.