Genetic interfaces at the frontier of expanding microbial colonies.

Abstract

We study the genetic interfaces between two species of an expanding colony that consists of individual microorganisms that reproduce and undergo diffusion, both at the frontier and in the interior. Within the bulk of the colony, the genetic interface is controlled in a simple way via interspecies interactions. However, at the frontier of the colony, the genetic interface width saturates at finite values for long times, for both neutral strains and interspecies interactions such as antagonism. This finite width arises from geometric effects: genetic interfaces drift toward local minima at an undulating colony frontier, where a focusing mechanism induced by curvature impedes diffusive mixing. Numerical simulations support a logarithmic dependence of the genetic interface width on the strength of the number fluctuations.