A range expansion experiment normally requires re-suspending your cells in a saline solution and then using them as inoculum on an agar plate. The bacteria used for this experiment are nitrite cross-feeders: two isogenic mutant of Pseudomonas stutzeri (facultative anaerobe). These range expansion experiments help answering fundamental ecological questions. This is their story:
The NOTHREENOTWO city
I remember when we landed on this vast plane of richness. Our ancestors had born in harsh conditions and believed our life to be suspended in an infinite space. But one day our universe was shaken, we were awoken from slumber and realized we were still alive.
Some of us did not survive though. The impact and pressure were too strong, even for the bravest.
I can barely believe the sudden transformation of our world. The new land was full of flourishing goods. Heaven, it seemed like.
But the initial establishment and the exposure to oxygen brought new conflicts, where the winners were the greediest among us. They rapidly expanded and conquered new territories.
Once a tribe made up of two groups, the Nothree and the Notwo—dividing our labour, building together our cities, all in harmony—today my children have to fight, to conquer and expand on this land. Yes, in a moment everything changed: oxygen made us compete.
#MicrobeArt2019 and #InternationalMicroorganismDay
Davide Ciccarese & Alejandra Manjarrez
Davide Ciccarese 