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Review
. 2016 Aug 11;14(9):563-75.
doi: 10.1038/nrmicro.2016.94.

Biofilms: an emergent form of bacterial life

Hans-Curt Flemming  1 , Jost Wingender  1 , Ulrich Szewzyk  2 , Peter Steinberg  3 , Scott A Rice  4 , Staffan Kjelleberg  4
Affiliations
Review

Biofilms: an emergent form of bacterial life

Hans-Curt Flemming et al. Nat Rev Microbiol. .

Abstract

Bacterial biofilms are formed by communities that are embedded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Importantly, bacteria in biofilms exhibit a set of 'emergent properties' that differ substantially from free-living bacterial cells. In this Review, we consider the fundamental role of the biofilm matrix in establishing the emergent properties of biofilms, describing how the characteristic features of biofilms - such as social cooperation, resource capture and enhanced survival of exposure to antimicrobials - all rely on the structural and functional properties of the matrix. Finally, we highlight the value of an ecological perspective in the study of the emergent properties of biofilms, which enables an appreciation of the ecological success of biofilms as habitat formers and, more generally, as a bacterial lifestyle.

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