predation

02.09.10

Cluster's Last Stand

Ripples reveal the highly organized behavior of thousands of cells working together to digest their prey
By Greg Soltis Posted 02.03.2009 at 9:39 am 0 Comments

The waning black crescent is all that remains from an Escherichia coli sample. "If it could scream, it would," says University of Iowa microbiologist John Kirby, who led a recent study on bacteria behavior. The E. coli has fallen victim to Myxococcus xanthus, a type of bacteria that forms unique rippling waves as it feasts on other bacteria. During an attack, M. xanthus secretes enzymes to break down E. coli, and then each bacterium moves back and forth like a vacuum cleaner to suck up its food.

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