2019/07/02 by Rudi Schuech, Tatjana Hoehfurtner, David J. Smith +1 · 1 voice · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Bacteriophages and microbial interactions #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #Micro and Nano Robotics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1073/pnas.1818997116
openalex publication_date 2019/07/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/21
Curved rods are a ubiquitous bacterial phenotype, but the fundamental question of why they are shaped this way remains unanswered. Through in silico experiments, we assessed freely swimming straight- and curved-rod bacteria of a wide diversity of equal-volume shapes parameterized by elongation and curvature, and predicted their performances in tasks likely to strongly influence overall fitness. Performance trade-offs between these tasks lead to a variety of shapes that are Pareto-optimal, including coccoids, all straight rods, and a range of curvatures. Comparison with an extensive morphological survey of motile curved-rod bacteria indicates that the vast majority of species fall within the Pareto-optimal region of morphospace. This result is consistent with evolutionary trade-offs between just three tasks: efficient swimming, chemotaxis, and low cell construction cost. We thus reveal the underlying selective pressures driving morphological diversity in a widespread component of microbial ecosystems.