Coexistence between Plasmids in Structured Bioflms: A Theoretical Model for Post-Segregational Killing Systems

Date

2019-07-05

Authors

Verweij, Wilco

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Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Guelph

Abstract

Currently there is a lack of understanding about how plasmids that contain Post-Segregational Killing (PSK+) systems and plasmids that do not contain such a system coexist in a population. In this thesis two spatially explicate models are presented to attempt to answer this gap in the literature. The rst model is an extension on a previous single strain model, the second model has two different strains and allows for the plasmids to specialize to different bacterial strains. Weak coexistence was found in the single strain model. Coexistence was found in the second model but only across a small parameter space and only under conditions when a PSK+ plasmid is introduce by a process analogous to dispersal. The interesting implication of this result is that it suggests coexistence is possible with specialization, but that it requires dispersal from another locality for the coexistence process to be initiated.

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Keywords

Post Segregational Killing Systems, Plasmids, Theoretical Biology

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