Contrary to popular wisdom, which treats bacteria as autonomous single cells, this book shows how bacteria are sentient, interactive organisms with an unexpectedly broad repertoire of chemical and physical mechanisms for signaling each other and organizing themselves into multicellular aggregates with novel properties.

PART I: Conceptual Developments 1. Multiculturalism vs. the single microbe, M. Dworkin 2. Multicellularity is the rule, not the exception: Lessons from E. coli colonies, J.A. Shapiro PART II: Intercellular Communication 3. Pheromone-inducible conjugation in Enterococcus faecalis: mating interactions mediated by chemical signals and direct contact, R.E. Ruhfel, B.A.B. Leonard, and G.M. Dunny 4. N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone autoinducers in bacteria: unity and diversity expanding the prokaryotic paradigm: E. coli colonies teach us that multicellularity is the rule rather than the exception, P.V. Dunlap PART III: Multicellular Lifestyles 5. Cyanobacteria, D.G. Adams 6. The mycelial life-style of Streptomyces Coelicolor A3(2) and its relatives, K.F. Chater and R. Losick 7. Proteus mirabilis and other swarming bacteria, R. Belas 8. Myxobacterial multicellularity, L.J. Shimkets and M. Dworkin 9. Oral microbiology and coaggregation, P.E. Kohlenbrander PART IV: Examining Multicellular Populations 10. Flow cytometry: a useful tool for analyzing bacterial populations cell by cell, B. Hauer abd H. Eipel 11. In situ analyses of microbial populations with molecular probes: the phylogenetic dimension, N.K. Fry, L. Raskin, R. Sharp, E.W. Alm, B.K. Mobarry, and D.A Stahl PART V: A More Physical View of Bacterial Multicellularity 12. Physical and Genetic consequences of multicellularity in Bacillus subtilis, N.H. Mendelson, B. Salhi, and C. Li 13. The formulation of colony patterns by a bacterial cell population, M. Matsushita 14. Cooperative formation of bacterial patterns, E. Ben-Jacob and I. Cohen 15. The collective behavior and dynamics of swimming bacteria, J.O Kessler and M.F. Wojciechowski

"Most microbiologists think of bacteria as exclusively unicellular organisms; this book provides a useful, alternative view of microbial life."--Choice |k No