A comparison of the dynamics of the structured cell population in virtual and experimental Proteus mirabilis swarm colonies

We present size distributions of Proteus mirabilis cells obtained from age- and space-structured models and simulations of swarm colonies, and compare them to experimental results from the manuscript of Matsuyama et al. [T. Matsuyama, Y. Takagi, Y. Nakagawa, H. Itoh, J. Wakita, M. Matsushita, Dynamic aspects of the structured cell population in a swarming colony of Proteus mirabilis, J. Bacteriol. 182 (2000) 385–393] that considers the evolution of the cell size structure at fixed points in the colony. Our comparison clarifies the importance of including explicit age structure in models of Proteus mirabilis swarm-colony development, as opposed to reaction–diffusion models that homogenize the system in age. We close with a discussion of our scientific computing methodology and how it enables modelers to move beyond reaction–diffusion models of biological pattern formation and include within their models the distributions of important traits of individuals.