Spatial organization patterns: rules of “game” for microbial community assembly

Abstract:

During biofilm formation, the unique spatial structure formed upon active or passive biological processes among microbial populations is called spatial organization pattern. Microbial spatial organization patterns are ubiquitous in natural and artificial environments, such as the medical, industrial and ecological systems and processes. They are critical for the causes and consequences of microbial community structure, biodiversity maintenance, and ecological functions and thereby have received extensive attention. Nevertheless, mechanistic understanding of microbial spatial organization and ecological consequences remains elusive largely due to the extremely complex microbial communities and limited research methodologies. The paper aims to summarize the state-of-the-art in microbial spatial self-organization, the key determining environmental factors, and the impact on nutrient utilization, element cycling, evolution and diversity maintenance, and ecological functions of microbes.