Cystobacter fuscus

Cystobacter fuscus demonstrates how cell adhesion shapes collective behavior in predatory bacteria. Unlike some myxobacteria where cells maintain loose associations, C. fuscus cells stick firmly together, creating cohesive sheets that move as unified masses across surfaces. This strong adhesion changes predation dynamics: the swarm can't easily fragment around obstacles or penetrate prey colonies from multiple angles. Instead, it advances as a unified front, bulldozing through prey populations.

The adhesive strategy has advantages and disadvantages. Cohesive swarms maintain group integrity through challenging terrain—the group doesn't lose members to gaps or rough surfaces. All cells share in captured resources rather than having forward cells monopolize prey. But rigid cohesion limits flexibility: the swarm can't split to explore multiple paths or surround prey colonies. C. fuscus demonstrates one solution within the trade-off between cohesion and flexibility.

Fruiting body development in C. fuscus reflects its adhesive nature. Cells aggregate into compact mounds rather than the extended structures of less cohesive species. The resulting fruiting bodies are dense and spherical, with minimal stalk development. Different myxobacterial species have evolved different balances between cell independence and group cohesion, producing the diversity of predatory strategies and developmental forms observed in the group. C. fuscus anchors one end of this spectrum, maximizing group integrity at some cost to individual flexibility.