Meeting Abstract

S4.7  Wednesday, Jan. 5  Integrating the “neuroecology” of bacteria and eukaryotes STEINBERG, PD; University of New South Wales p.steinberg@unsw.edu.au

Most of the biodiversity on the planet does not have brains or nerve cells. Motivated by the search for general principles it is thus useful to define neuroecology broadly, as the attempt to scale from (molecular) mechanisms of signals and signal response to the ecological consequences of those responses. Bacteria are arguably ideal for such studies, as they are experimentally amenable with respect to mechanisms and the link between ecology and molecular biology for microbial systems is often very direct. Here I describe ecological interactions between seaweeds and marine bacteria arising from studies on the modulation of bacterial cell-cell signaling systems, or quorum sensing. Bacterial signaling systems can have ecological consequences in these systems for processes ranging from bacterial colonisation of surfaces, host disease, ecological succession and settlement of spores or larvae. Beyond these specific bacterial-seaweed systems, microbial signaling is also important broadly for ecological interactions between bacteria and many higher organisms. Studies of microbial interactions do not usually impinge on our thinking about the ecology of higher organisms, but they have the capacity to provide considerable insight into research on “neuroecology” (writ broadly).