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DS: Fachverband Dünne Schichten
DS 20: Poster
DS 20.6: Poster
Donnerstag, 12. März 2026, 18:30–20:30, P2
How Matrix-Mediated Osmotic Forces Govern Spatio-Temporal Dynamics and Spreading in Two-Species Biofilms — •Anthony Pietz1, Uwe Thiele1, and Karin John2 — 1University Münster, Münster, Germany — 2University Grenoble Alps, Grenoble, France
Biofilms are thin films of bacterial communities encased in a self-produced polymeric matrix that thrive on immersed or moist surfaces [1]. The matrix confers the biofilm mechanical resistance and drives an osmotic influx of nutrients rich water into the biofilm.
While the osmotic spreading of biofilms with only one species has been extensively studied, much less is known about how matrix-mediated osmotic forces influence the spatio-temporal organization and spreading dynamics in multi-species communities. Experiments on two-species mixtures of matrix producers / non-producers show that the latter becomes confined to the advancing biofilm edge [2].
We numerically investigate the dynamics of such a two-species biofilm where the matrix-producing species attractively interacts with the matrix. Our description supplements a thermodynamically consistent thin-film approach for a passive suspension by bioactive growth terms. We analyse the resulting spatio-temporal dynamics and identify conditions under which multispecies and monospecies biofilms develop.
[1] Wilking et al. Biofilms as complex fluids. MRS Bulletin 36: 385, 2013. [2] Yan et al. Extracellular-matrix-mediated osmotic pressure drives Vibrio cholerae biofilm expansion and cheater exclusion. Nature Communications 8: 327, 2017.
Keywords: biophysics; bacterial biofilm; osmotic driven; Gradient dynamics; thin film dynamics