Dear Cindy and other Biofilm Enthusiasts,
The nature of the question below tends to preclude the correct answer. Its
like Groucho Marx's old line to the contestants in his game show. He would say
"Answer yes or no - Have you finally stopped beating your wife? - - - Don't
avoid the question - answer yes or no - have you stopped beating your wife!"
There can be no correct answer if the question is loaded with a false premise
and that is the case with the question below.
"What would be more influential in biofilm formation;
1.The physical environment?
2. The solid substrate on which it forms?"
A biofilm is a complex adaptive system consisting of chemical, physical, and
biological objects. Each object has both a physical nature and an
informational nature and it is the calculative geometry within the internal and
external environment of each object that determines its form and function.
Thus it is the calculative geometry of the biological, chemical, and physical
objects that is in control of their physics, chemistry, and biology.
This is a dimension of reality that natural science has only recently become
interested in. Reality consists of "least calculative units", and two or more
are required to calculate the form and function of the chemical, physical, and
biological objects involved in the calculations. Each least calculative unit
must be able to restructure and to proliferate (either directly or with the
assistance of other objects). Two such units can feedback informationally
(perform calculations of form and function) if the geometric restructuring of
each affects the proliferation of the other. That is what calculates
compromises in the form, function, proliferation, and behavior. This applies
to all complex adaptive systems (chemical, physical, and biological) up to and
including the Earth and the Universe itself.
More detailed info is available at
http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/10123/contents/02/00083/
I pasted the abstract below.
Warm wishes to all biofilm enthusiasts from Saskatoon - Doug Caldwell
------------
Doug Caldwell
Dept of Appl Micro and Food Sci
51 Campus Drive
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5A8
MicrobialEcology at Shaw.Ca
306-934-0711
-------------
The calculative nature of microbial biofilms and bioaggregates
(International Microbiology - a Springer Verlag journal)
Douglas E. Caldwell1,
(1)
Department of Applied Microbiology and Food Science, University of
Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A8, Canada
Abstract. Biological proliferation is optimized at various levels of
organization, including the molecule (e.g.
nucleic acids, prions), the cell (e.g. prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells),
and the community (e.g. microbial
biofilms, bioaggregates). Although it was initially assumed that this occurred
through the genesis of information
within DNA alone, it now appears that innovative design originates at other
levels of organization in addition to
DNA. For example, the recombination of community structures affects the
proliferation rate of genetic
structures; and the recombination of genetic structures affects the
proliferation rate of community structures.
This feedback mechanism computes compromises between the form and function of
both community and
nucleic acid. A nested series of proliferating objects (e.g. genetic structure,
cell structure, community structure)
is thus capable of continually updating the form of each object in the series.
This accounts for the calculative
nature of prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells, biofilms, bioaggregates,
microbial consortia, and most other
complex adaptive systems.
Cindy Morris wrote:
> This is really an open question, and it might stimulate good discussion -=20
> something that we haven't seen in awhile on this mailing list. The answer=20
> is probably highly dependant on the ecosystem and micro-organisms involved,=
> =20
> and the influence of "1" is probably difficult to separate from that of=20
> "2". Perhaps the reponses to this question could be formulated with=20
> specific reference to precise models. This promises to be interesting?
>
> Cindy Morris
> INRA-Avignon
> *****************
>
> At 03:34 18/09/2002 +0100, D Ewanishin a =E9crit:
> What would be more influential in biofilm formation;
> 1.The physical environment?
> 2. The solid substrate on which it forms?
> ---
>
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>
> Cindy E. Morris
> INRA - Avignon
> Station de Pathologie Vegetale
> B.P. 94
> 84143 Montfavet cedex
> France
> (street address for express delivery: INRA, Station de Pathologie Vegetale,=
> =20
> Domaine St. Maurice, Allee des Chenes, 84140 Montfavet)
> tel: +33 432-72-28-86
> fax: +33 432-72-28-42
> morris at avignon.inra.fr
>
> ---
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> To reply to the group as well as to the originator, make sure that
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>
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> on how to (un)subscribe and post to the Biofilms newsgroup.
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