{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T18:45:45Z","timestamp":1792176345689,"version":"4.4.0"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1014874","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792108800000}}],"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791849600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000038","name":"Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000038","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.ploscompbiol.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Comput Biol"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Understanding how structures arise in microbial communities remains an outstanding challenge in bacterial ecology. When replicating within dense and confined environments, bacterial populations may collectively self-organize as a result of mechanical interactions. We previously observed that model dual-populations of bacteria, colonizing open-ended microchannels, either quickly fixate to a single population or segregate into long-lived, coexisting populations. This latter quasi-stability results from the alignment of bacteria into lanes, forcing cells to grow toward the open ends of the channel, with inter-lane invasion events driving the boundary dynamics between populations. Here we apply agent-based (AB) simulations to explore the boundary dynamics between dual-bacterial populations of varying morphology and division rate. We find that the simulated boundary dynamics are well-described by a simple drift-diffusion model, which enables us to estimate the mean time to fixation within competitive scenarios where the fixation time is difficult to access by AB simulations. Coccus-like cells display a competitive advantage over bacillus cells as they can more effectively invade and ultimately fixate, while coexisting populations of bacillus cells are \u201ceffectively\u201d stable. And while faster-dividing cells should have a selective advantage, their morphology determines if this advantage drives fixation or acts as a defensive strategy to maintain their population. These findings highlight the critical role that cell morphology and mechanics play in shaping bacterial communities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1014874","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T17:42:56Z","timestamp":1791913376000},"page":"e1014874","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pcbi.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The influence of cell morphology on the dynamics and stability of model bacterial communities"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"22","author":[{"given":"Ing Xhu","family":"Lim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Toronto Mississauga","place":["Mississauga, Ontario, Canada"],"department":["Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences"]},{"name":"University of Toronto","place":["Toronto, Ontario, Canada"],"department":["Department of Physics"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Faisal","family":"Halabeya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Toronto Mississauga","place":["Mississauga, Ontario, Canada"],"department":["Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences"]},{"name":"University of Toronto","place":["Toronto, Ontario, Canada"],"department":["Department of Physics"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2515-4025","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Joshua N.","family":"Milstein","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Toronto Mississauga","place":["Mississauga, Ontario, Canada"],"department":["Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences"]},{"name":"University of Toronto","place":["Toronto, Ontario, Canada"],"department":["Department of Physics"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"pcbi.1014874.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1234","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2016.01234","article-title":"Bacterial communities: interactions to scale","volume":"7","author":"RM Stubbendieck","year":"2016","journal-title":"Front Microbiol"},{"issue":"6261","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"663","DOI":"10.1126\/science.aad2602","article-title":"The ecology of the microbiome: networks, competition, and stability","volume":"350","author":"KZ Coyte","year":"2015","journal-title":"Science"},{"issue":"11","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cub.2019.03.068","article-title":"Drivers of spatial structure in social microbial communities","volume":"29","author":"D Yanni","year":"2019","journal-title":"Curr Biol"},{"issue":"11","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cub.2019.03.001","article-title":"Public goods and cheating in microbes","volume":"29","author":"P Smith","year":"2019","journal-title":"Curr Biol"},{"issue":"9","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"589","DOI":"10.1038\/nrmicro.2016.84","article-title":"Spatial structure, cooperation and competition in biofilms","volume":"14","author":"CD Nadell","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nat Rev Microbiol"},{"issue":"7","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref006","article-title":"Spatial population dynamics of bacterial colonies with social antibiotic resistance","volume":"122","author":"MK Denk-Lobnig","year":"2025","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"issue":"1","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"32","DOI":"10.1038\/s41522-025-00666-1","article-title":"Disentangling the feedback loops driving spatial patterning in microbial communities","volume":"11","author":"A Henderson","year":"2025","journal-title":"NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes"},{"issue":"6","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"688","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tim.2024.12.009","article-title":"Emerging models to study competitive interactions within bacterial communities","volume":"33","author":"M Virgo","year":"2025","journal-title":"Trends Microbiol"},{"issue":"97","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20140400","DOI":"10.1098\/rsif.2014.0400","article-title":"The role of mechanical forces in the planar-to-bulk transition in growing Escherichia coli microcolonies","volume":"11","author":"MAA Grant","year":"2014","journal-title":"J R Soc Interface"},{"issue":"1","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9561","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-024-53989-6","article-title":"Cell shape affects bacterial colony growth under physical confinement","volume":"15","author":"M Sreepadmanabh","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nat Commun"},{"issue":"10","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pbio.3001846","article-title":"Shared biophysical mechanisms determine early biofilm architecture development across different bacterial species","volume":"20","author":"H Jeckel","year":"2022","journal-title":"PLoS Biol"},{"issue":"7","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2115496119","article-title":"Scale-dependent tipping points of bacterial colonization resistance","volume":"119","author":"Y Karita","year":"2022","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"issue":"1","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1038\/s42005-023-01449-w","article-title":"Collective mechano-response dynamically tunes cell-size distributions in growing bacterial colonies","volume":"6","author":"R Wittmann","year":"2023","journal-title":"Commun Phys"},{"issue":"2","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1525228113","article-title":"Microbial competition in porous environments can select against rapid biofilm growth","volume":"114","author":"KZ Coyte","year":"2017","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"issue":"45","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11448","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1809587115","article-title":"Physical interactions reduce the power of natural selection in growing yeast colonies","volume":"115","author":"A Giometto","year":"2018","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"issue":"20","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref016","article-title":"Mechanics limits ecological diversity and promotes heterogeneity in confined bacterial communities","volume":"121","author":"T Ma","year":"2024","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"key":"pcbi.1014874.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actbio.2023.01.003","article-title":"Hierarchical encapsulation of bacteria in functional hydrogel beads for inter- and intra- species communication","volume":"158","author":"Y Jeong","year":"2023","journal-title":"Acta Biomaterialia"},{"issue":"40","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15346","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0706805105","article-title":"Biomechanical ordering of dense cell populations","volume":"105","author":"D Volfson","year":"2008","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A"},{"issue":"2","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"026008","DOI":"10.1088\/1478-3975\/8\/2\/026008","article-title":"Buckling instability in ordered bacterial colonies","volume":"8","author":"D Boyer","year":"2011","journal-title":"Phys Biol"},{"issue":"196","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20220512","DOI":"10.1098\/rsif.2022.0512","article-title":"Stress anisotropy in confined populations of growing rods","volume":"19","author":"J Isensee","year":"2022","journal-title":"J R Soc Interface"},{"issue":"4","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref021","article-title":"Confinement-induced self-organization in growing bacterial colonies","volume":"7","author":"Z You","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci Adv"},{"issue":"42","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8468","DOI":"10.1039\/D4SM00625A","article-title":"Strain rate controls alignment in growing bacterial monolayers","volume":"20","author":"B Langeslay","year":"2024","journal-title":"Soft Matter"},{"issue":"1","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1128\/mmbr.00138-24","article-title":"Resolving spatiotemporal dynamics in bacterial multicellular populations: approaches and challenges","volume":"89","author":"SS Espinoza Miranda","year":"2025","journal-title":"Microbiol Mol Biol Rev"},{"issue":"7","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1091\/mbc.E25-12-0594","article-title":"Bacterial ecology in confined and spatially structured in vitro habitats","volume":"37","author":"F Halabeya","year":"2026","journal-title":"Mol Biol Cell"},{"issue":"12","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1010868","article-title":"Spatial exclusion leads to \u201ctug-of-war\u201d ecological dynamics between competing species within microchannels","volume":"19","author":"J Rothschild","year":"2023","journal-title":"PLoS Comput Biol"},{"issue":"11","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3564","DOI":"10.1021\/acssynbio.2c00411","article-title":"Agent-based modeling of microbial communities","volume":"11","author":"K Nagarajan","year":"2022","journal-title":"ACS Synth Biol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pcbi.1014874.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/ismejo\/wraf116","article-title":"Individual-based modeling unravels spatial and social interactions in bacterial communities","volume":"19","author":"J Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"ISME J"},{"key":"pcbi.1014874.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-94-024-1584-1","volume-title":"Statistical physics for biological matter","author":"W Sung","year":"2018"}],"updated-by":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1014874","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792108800000}}],"container-title":["PLOS Computational Biology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1014874","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T17:51:37Z","timestamp":1792173097000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1014874"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Stefan","family":"Klumpp","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Georg-August-Universitat Gottingen","place":["GERMANY"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]]},"references-count":28,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1014874","relation":{},"ISSN":["1553-7358"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1553-7358","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]]}}}