Sociomicrobiology: the connections between quorum sensing and biofilms
Coined 'sociomicrobiology'—80%+ of bacterial infections involve biofilms because coordination beats individual capability.
Bacteria invented social coordination 3 billion years before humans. This landmark paper coined the term 'sociomicrobiology' to describe how bacteria coordinate group behaviors through quorum sensing and biofilm formation. When bacteria aggregate into biofilms, they encounter dramatically higher local cell densities—creating the concentrated signaling environment where quorum sensing becomes effective.
The insight reframes bacteria from isolated competitors to social actors. Over 80% of bacterial infections involve biofilms precisely because coordination provides advantages individual cells can't achieve: antibiotic resistance up to 1,000x higher, shared metabolic burdens, and collective defense. For organizations, this reveals that coordination architectures matter more than individual capability. A collection of talented individuals operating independently will be outcompeted by less talented individuals who've evolved coordination protocols—the bacterial biofilm versus the lone planktonic cell.
Key Findings from Parsek & Greenberg (2005)
- Coined 'sociomicrobiology' as field studying bacterial group behaviors and coordination
- Biofilm environments enable quorum sensing by concentrating signaling molecules to effective thresholds
- Over 80% of bacterial infections involve biofilms—coordination provides survival advantage
- Quorum sensing regulates both biofilm formation and dissolution depending on environmental context
- Bacteria represent genetic model systems for dissecting social behavior at molecular level