Large-scale orientational order in bacterial colonies during inward growth

Understand

During colony growth, complex interactions regulate the bacterial orientation, leading to the formation of large-scale ordered structures, including topological defects and microdomains.

• These structures may benefit bacterial strains, providing invasive advantages during colonization.
• Active matter dynamics of growing colonies drives the emergence of these ordered structures.
• However, additional biomechanical factors also play a significant role during this process.