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. 2023 Aug 1;169(8):001338. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.001338

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© 2023 The Authors

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author’s institution.

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Fig. 1. — Biofilms across the scales of life. The central schematic shows the arrangement of mixed species of microbes embedded within an extracellular matrix. The typical materials found in the matrix are highlighted in a side box and cover both those that are produced and those that accumulate. The top panel of images showcases biofilms in the natural and built environment, which cross many scales. The lower panel of images highlight the emergent properties that arise when individual cells are in proximity within the protected community.