Spatial distribution of bacteria at the microscale in soil

Abstract

After the discovery of the tremendous bacterial diversity in soil at all spatial scales, numerous studies have been motivated by the fact that soil represents a very large reservoir of various genes. Nevertheless, the organization of bacterial cells at the microscale in the soil fabric has been overlooked, although all functional interactions appearing at the ecosystem level initially intervene at the scale of the bacterial cells. Many microbiological processes are based on encounters between cells, and between cells and substrates, between cells and surfaces. This chapter provides insight into the microscale spatial distribution of bacteria in soil, with a special emphasis on the concepts of microcolonies and microhabitats as structuring elements for these patterns. Keywords: bacterial diversity, soil, spatial organization, microscale, microhabitat.