Dresden 2017 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 3: Mechanics and Dynamics of 3D Tissues - Joint Focus Session (BP/CPP/DY) organized by Peter Loskill
BP 3.10: Talk
Monday, March 20, 2017, 12:45–13:00, SCH A251
Growth Dynamics of Biofilms — •Benedikt Sabass1,2, Jing Yan2, Howard A. Stone2, and Ned S. Wingreen2 — 1Forschungszentrum Jülich — 2Princeton University
Bacteria can form tight communities that are called biofilms. Although biofilms are ubiquitous and ecologically important, little is known about the physics of biofilm growth. Here, we focus on rod-shaped V. cholerae bacteria that form hemispherical biofilms when growing on a surface. Using high-resolution microscopy data, we measure cell density, cell orientation, and shape evolution of the biofilm. We quantitatively explain the density and cell orientation inside the biofilm by minimization of elastic energies. The evolution of the whole biofilm shape is governed by apparent viscous relaxation. We find that the shape parameters of biofilms follow rather simple, generic scaling laws.