Social Bacteria (IMAGE)

Indiana University

Social Bacteria

Caption

When environmental conditions are hospitable, Myxococcus xanthus takes a rod-shaped form (yellow), swarming, dividing, and competing with other cells for nutrients. When stressed, the bacterium becomes more social, collaborating with other cells to produce spherical spores (green) that can withstand stress.

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Image courtesy of Juergen Berger and Supriya Kadam

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