This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Matsuyama, T Articles by Matsushita, M Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Matsuyama, T Articles by Matsushita, M Agricola Articles by Matsuyama, T Articles by Matsushita, M

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992 April; 58(4): 1227-1232

Self-similar colony morphogenesis by gram-negative rods as the experimental model of fractal growth by a cell population.

Department of Bacteriology, Niigata University School of Medicine, Japan.

ABSTRACT

The ability to form a fractal colony was shown to be common among several species of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Bacterial spreading growth in a two-dimensional field of nutrient concentration was indicated to be important for this experimental self-similar morphogenesis. As a basic analogy, the diffusion-limited aggregation model was suggested. Fractal dimensions of colonies were mostly in the range of values from 1.7 to 1.8, similar to those of the two-dimensional diffusion-limited aggregation model. Bacterial characteristics and culture conditions inducing changes in fractal patterns and growth rates were identified. The contribution of the bacterial multicellular nature to fractal morphogenesis is discussed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Krone, S. M., Lu, R., Fox, R., Suzuki, H., Top, E. M. (2007). Modelling the spatial dynamics of plasmid transfer and persistence. Microbiology 153: 2803-2816 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Nakazawa, K., Hasegawa, H., Nakagawa, Y., Terao, M., Matsuyama, T. (2005). Factors Influencing the Ability of Listeria monocytogenes To Pass through a Membrane Filter by Active Infiltration. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 7571-7574 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Julkowska, D., Obuchowski, M., Holland, I. B., Seror, S. J. (2004). Branched swarming patterns on a synthetic medium formed by wild-type Bacillus subtilis strain 3610: detection of different cellular morphologies and constellations of cells as the complex architecture develops. Microbiology 150: 1839-1849 [Abstract] [Full Text]