Determine the biological relevance of E. coli self-organization

Determine the specific biological relevance of clonal multicellular self-organization in Escherichia coli, establishing what functional roles this process serves relative to other forms of bacterial multicellular organization.

Background

The paper contrasts E. coli’s clonal self-organization (rosette formation, multicellular extension, and attached dormancy) with constrained colonies and aggregative communities, noting ongoing debates about the importance of different experimental systems for studying bacterial multicellularity. The authors emphasize that E. coli’s self-organization is fundamentally distinct from prior examples and connects to biofilm formation, yet its broader biological significance has not been resolved.