Predator Species Across Different Kingdoms: A Bacterial Agar Art Exhibition
Disciplines
Art and Design | Biodiversity | Microbiology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Predators are essential across all domains of life, regulating populations, shaping ecosystems, and driving nutrient cycles. This agar art exhibit showcases a range of predatory species across different kingdoms, highlighting their roles in sustaining biodiversity. In 1995, gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, triggering a trophic cascade that regulated elk populations, restored vegetation, and increased beaver numbers. This shift improved river ecosystems and enhanced biodiversity, demonstrating the landscape-shaping power of apex predators. Owls serve as both aerial predators and bioindicators. By controlling rodent populations, they prevent agricultural damage and disease spread, while their presence—or absence—reflects ecosystem health. A decline in owl populations often signals habitat loss or pollution, emphasizing their ecological importance. In the plant kingdom, the waterwheel plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa) is a free-floating aquatic carnivore that preys on small invertebrates like water fleas and mosquito larvae. By regulating insect populations, it potentially reduces disease vectors, showcasing plant-based predation. At the microbial level, predatory bacteria like Myxococcus xanthus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa play vital ecological roles. M. xanthus, a soil-dwelling bacterium, preys on other bacteria by swarming and secreting digestive enzymes, controlling microbial populations, and suppressing plant pathogens. P. aeruginosa, acting as a biocontrol agent, produces antimicrobial compounds that inhibit fungal pathogens and contribute to bioremediation by degrading organic pollutants. This artistic representation of predation across kingdoms emphasizes the interconnectedness of ecosystems and the unseen influence of predators. Through bacterial agar art, we contribute to STEAM and explore nature’s complexity.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Molecular and Cellular Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Ramya Rajagopalan
Predator Species Across Different Kingdoms: A Bacterial Agar Art Exhibition
Predators are essential across all domains of life, regulating populations, shaping ecosystems, and driving nutrient cycles. This agar art exhibit showcases a range of predatory species across different kingdoms, highlighting their roles in sustaining biodiversity. In 1995, gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, triggering a trophic cascade that regulated elk populations, restored vegetation, and increased beaver numbers. This shift improved river ecosystems and enhanced biodiversity, demonstrating the landscape-shaping power of apex predators. Owls serve as both aerial predators and bioindicators. By controlling rodent populations, they prevent agricultural damage and disease spread, while their presence—or absence—reflects ecosystem health. A decline in owl populations often signals habitat loss or pollution, emphasizing their ecological importance. In the plant kingdom, the waterwheel plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa) is a free-floating aquatic carnivore that preys on small invertebrates like water fleas and mosquito larvae. By regulating insect populations, it potentially reduces disease vectors, showcasing plant-based predation. At the microbial level, predatory bacteria like Myxococcus xanthus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa play vital ecological roles. M. xanthus, a soil-dwelling bacterium, preys on other bacteria by swarming and secreting digestive enzymes, controlling microbial populations, and suppressing plant pathogens. P. aeruginosa, acting as a biocontrol agent, produces antimicrobial compounds that inhibit fungal pathogens and contribute to bioremediation by degrading organic pollutants. This artistic representation of predation across kingdoms emphasizes the interconnectedness of ecosystems and the unseen influence of predators. Through bacterial agar art, we contribute to STEAM and explore nature’s complexity.