The extremely high soil microbial diversity is attributed to soil physical and ecological heterogeneities reflecting the interplay of spatiotemporal, physical, and chemical variables that delineate spheres of influences defining microbial habitats and ecological functions. Nevertheless, the heterogeneity of bacterial phenotypes even with an identical genotype largely contributes to manipulate bacterial life form and their environmental fate. Combining micro-scale experimental observations with novel agent based simulation modeling (that explicitly considers soil pore structure and aqueous-phase configuration and associated biophysical processes affecting individual cell life history), we show how expression of bacterial phenotypes conspire with micro-hydro-physical processes affect microbial motility patterns and population interactions, as well as interactions with micro niches, and impacts on their life form and fate.
 

bacteria, phenotype, motility