Density-Dependent Transition in Bacterial Self-Organization Driven by Confinement and Aerotaxis
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866908938790764544 |
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| author | Kim, Minjun Jeong, Joonwoo |
| author_facet | Kim, Minjun Jeong, Joonwoo |
| contents | We experimentally investigate how aerotactic bacteria, confined within a thin liquid film between two solid substrates, respond to a controlled oxygen gradient. We find that the total bacterial number density dictates which mechanism dominates the steady-state spatial distribution: wall accumulation or aerotaxis. At low densities, despite receiving oxygen only from one substrate, motile bacteria accumulate at both walls, forming a symmetric distribution. In contrast, pronounced aerotactic migration toward the oxygen-supplying wall emerges as the density increases. Analyzing the temporal evolution of this bacterial distribution reveals that the aerotactic response is driven by a self-generated oxygen gradient induced by collective respiration. Our diffusion-advection model of bacteria and oxygen, accounting for aerotactic migration, hydrodynamic attraction to the walls, and respiration, quantitatively reproduces our experimental observations and provides valuable insights into bacterial self-organization within complex environments. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_14532 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Density-Dependent Transition in Bacterial Self-Organization Driven by Confinement and Aerotaxis Kim, Minjun Jeong, Joonwoo Soft Condensed Matter We experimentally investigate how aerotactic bacteria, confined within a thin liquid film between two solid substrates, respond to a controlled oxygen gradient. We find that the total bacterial number density dictates which mechanism dominates the steady-state spatial distribution: wall accumulation or aerotaxis. At low densities, despite receiving oxygen only from one substrate, motile bacteria accumulate at both walls, forming a symmetric distribution. In contrast, pronounced aerotactic migration toward the oxygen-supplying wall emerges as the density increases. Analyzing the temporal evolution of this bacterial distribution reveals that the aerotactic response is driven by a self-generated oxygen gradient induced by collective respiration. Our diffusion-advection model of bacteria and oxygen, accounting for aerotactic migration, hydrodynamic attraction to the walls, and respiration, quantitatively reproduces our experimental observations and provides valuable insights into bacterial self-organization within complex environments. |
| title | Density-Dependent Transition in Bacterial Self-Organization Driven by Confinement and Aerotaxis |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.14532 |