In an earlier post, “And I thought it was...”, I shared two papers about bacteria being able to sense, “smell”, other colonies of bacteria. In this first encounter, the scientists suggest the smell of ammonia alerted bacteria to the presence of other bacteria that might very well be competitive and in need of management.
Okay. Now the wee beasties know that somebody else is around, what can they do about it?
Well, they can apparently produce a "biofilm—a kind of structured slime that enables microorganisms to adhere to surfaces, band together and block out competitors in their immediate environment.
"Biofilm is like a city for bacteria to live in," Sperandio says. "The bacteria secrete a slimy matrix and organize themselves into a multicellular structure with channels for water and nutrients to flow in and out."
Fascinating. These microscopic creatures with very well-hidden noses can sniff and defend. Now what does that have to do with trees?
Indulge me in a Wulkowiczian sidestep over to the issue of slime flux as a tree disease. If I Google "tree slime flux", I read of it as a disease that we can't do anything about except maybe drill some useless holes.
I can next read that it is sap being forced out of the tree interior, and if I further look for sap, I find xylem sap, phloem sap, maple syrup sap, and the whole articulation of old wives tales.
Perhaps what we described as slime flux is really the biofilm produced by some bacteria colonized somewhere in the tree to combat another colony that is threatening its lunch.
Why stop at two? There can be any number of antagonists all at microbial DefCon 4 and given the proper conditions, their outputs can be voluminous.
It would be nice if someone examined these issues further, and perhaps we might reduce the number of “identified” tree diseases.
No offense to anyone, I don't need no stinking biofilms.
Wolfowitz
http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=240687&an=0&page=0#240687
Okay. Now the wee beasties know that somebody else is around, what can they do about it?
Well, they can apparently produce a "biofilm—a kind of structured slime that enables microorganisms to adhere to surfaces, band together and block out competitors in their immediate environment.
"Biofilm is like a city for bacteria to live in," Sperandio says. "The bacteria secrete a slimy matrix and organize themselves into a multicellular structure with channels for water and nutrients to flow in and out."
Fascinating. These microscopic creatures with very well-hidden noses can sniff and defend. Now what does that have to do with trees?
Indulge me in a Wulkowiczian sidestep over to the issue of slime flux as a tree disease. If I Google "tree slime flux", I read of it as a disease that we can't do anything about except maybe drill some useless holes.
I can next read that it is sap being forced out of the tree interior, and if I further look for sap, I find xylem sap, phloem sap, maple syrup sap, and the whole articulation of old wives tales.
Perhaps what we described as slime flux is really the biofilm produced by some bacteria colonized somewhere in the tree to combat another colony that is threatening its lunch.
Why stop at two? There can be any number of antagonists all at microbial DefCon 4 and given the proper conditions, their outputs can be voluminous.
It would be nice if someone examined these issues further, and perhaps we might reduce the number of “identified” tree diseases.
No offense to anyone, I don't need no stinking biofilms.
Wolfowitz
http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=240687&an=0&page=0#240687
