Laufer, CriagSellers, Ian2023-02-242023-02-242017-04http://hdl.handle.net/11603/26858Bacteria are social organisms that interact within and between other species while simultaneously responding to external stimuli from their surrounding environment (11). Bacterial communities are among the most diverse of ecological communities in that they vary drastically in species composition, niches occupied, and influence on different environments. Understanding the development and implications of these bacterial communities is of great importance, because they not only influence our personal health, but also our surrounding environment. Determining exactly how these communities form is a complex issue that is not completely understood.27 pagesen-USText