Kin discrimination between sympatric Bacillus subtilis isolates
Abstract
Microorganisms are directly influenced by actions of their neighbors, and cooperative behaviors are favored among relatives. Only a few microbial species are known to discriminate between kin and nonkin, and distribution of this trait within sympatric bacterial populations is still poorly understood. Here we provide evidence of kin discrimination among micrometer-scale soil isolates of Bacillus subtilis, which is reflected in striking boundaries between nonkin sympatric conspecifics during cooperative swarming on agar. Swarming incompatibilities were frequent and correlated with phylogenetic relatedness, as only the most related strains merged swarms. Moreover, mixing of strains during colonization of a plant root suggested possible antagonism between nonkin. The work sheds light on kin discrimination on a model Gram-plus bacterium.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- November 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1512671112
- Bibcode:
- 2015PNAS..11214042S