Microbial intelligence
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Microbial intelligence (popularly known as bacterial intelligence) is the intelligence shown by microorganisms. It may be defined as complex adaptive behaviour shown by single cells, also as altruistic and/or cooperative behavior between like or unlike cells mediated by chemical signalling that induces physiological or behavioral changes in cells and influences colony structures.
Complex cells, like protozoa or algae, show remarkable abilities to organise themselves in changing circumstances [[1]] and even bacteria, which show primitive behavior as isolated organisms, can display more sophisticated responses when they group their activity within a colony (like a biofilm).
The study of bacterial biofilms has only really kicked off in the last 15 years due to advances in equipment and interest in the field. But, It is predicted by much older works into the evolution of kin-selected behavior and the evolution of multicellularity. So, microbial intelligence might be mother of the inter-cellular communication systems in multicellular organisms.
It has been suggested that a bacterial colony loosely mimics a biological neural networks. The bacteria can take inputs in form of chemical signals, process them and then produce output chemical to signal other bacteria in the colony. Shell-building by amebae, on the other hand, reveals complex discrimination and manipulative skills that are ordinarioly thought to occur only in multicellular organisms.
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[edit] Examples of microbial intelligence
- The formation of biofilms requires joint decision by the whole colony
- If there is lesser food available to the colony, the bacteria organise themselves in such a way so as to maximise nutrient availability
- Bacteria reorganise themselves under antibiotic stress
- Sharing of certain genes(such as genes coding antibiotic ressistance) with the whole colony.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Eshel Ben-Jacob (1998). "Bacterial wisdom, Godel's theorem and creative genomic webs".
- Brian J. Ford (2004). "Are cells ingenious?".
- E. Ben-Jacob, I. Becker, Y. Shapira (2004). "Bacterial Linguistic Communication and Social Intelligence".
- Brian J. Ford (2006). "Revealing the ingenuity of the living cell".
- Anthea Lipsett (2006). "Not so clever, are you?".
