# Shape of the Growing Front of Biofilms

## TL;DR

This paper investigates the morphology and stability of growing biofilm fronts, highlighting how nutrient levels and mechanical tension influence biofilm structure and transient behaviors.

## Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of the stability conditions of biofilm growth interfaces considering nutrient and tension effects.

## Key findings

- Stability depends on nutrient concentration and mechanical tension.
- Transient behaviors significantly influence biofilm structure.
- Conditions for stable and unstable growth fronts are identified.

## Abstract

The spatial organization of bacteria in dense biofilms is key to their collective behaviour, and understanding it will be important for medical and technological applications. Here we study the morphology of a compact biofilm that undergoes unidirectional growth, and determine the condition for the stability of the growing interface as a function of the nutrient concentration and mechanical tension. Our study suggests that transient behaviour may play an important role in shaping the structure of a biofilm.