Self-Organized Pattern Formation of a Bacteria Colony Modeled by a Reaction Diffusion System and Nucleation Theory

Self-organized pattern formation is observed in bacterial colony growth. The recently reported knotted-branching pattern of the Bacillus circulans colony consists of the trajectories of aggregates which grow, move, and reproduce simultaneously. We modeled these processes by combining a reaction diffusion system of nutrient dynamics, nucleation theory for aggregate generation, and individual based dynamics of motion and growth of aggregates. The branching pattern produced by computer simulation shows great similarity with experiments. Response to the initial nutrient concentration is also consistent with the experiments.