Modulated Collective Behaviors and Condensation of Bacteria

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that bacteria respond collectively to alternating electric fields, forming dynamic clusters whose size and behavior depend on field frequency and concentration, revealing physical mechanisms behind bacterial aggregation.

Contribution

It uncovers how physical properties and electroconvective flows influence bacterial clustering under electric fields, advancing understanding of bio-physical interactions.

Findings

Bacteria form oscillating dynamic clusters in response to electric fields.

Cluster size and splitting depend on field frequency and bacterial concentration.

Electroconvective flows and hydrodynamic cooperation are key to cluster formation.

Abstract

Bacteria can spontaneously develop collective motions by aligning their motions in dense systems. Here, we show that bacteria can also respond collectively to an alternating electrical field and form dynamic clusters oscillating at the same frequency of the field. As the dynamic clusters go beyond a critical size, they split into smaller ones spontaneously. The critical size for splitting depends on the frequency of electric field and the concentration of bacteria. We show that instead of their biological activity, the physical properties of bacteria as charged particles are responsible for the formation of dynamic clusters. Electroconvective flows across the system play the key role in stabilizing the clusters. However, to form clusters, collective hydrodynamic cooperation between bacteria is important such that no aggregation occurs in dilute suspensions. The findings in this study illustrate that bio-systems can respond collectively to an external field, promising an effective way to control and modulate the behavior of organisms. Moreover, the controlled aggregation and condensation of bacteria offer a robust approach to improve the local concentration of bacteria for early and rapid detection, which has wide applications in clinics.