Effect of intra-population variability on the long-distance transport of bacteria

Recent experimental work has suggested that within a single bacterial strain there may exist two distinct subpopulations, each with its own sticking efficiency. We pel formed a sensitivity analysis using an advection-dispersion model to elucidate the effects of an influent suspension of bacteria composed of two subpopulations, each with distinct sticking efficiencies (dual-alpha population), on the removal and transport of bacteria over distances of tens of meters. In the simulations, me assumed idealized conditions (i.e., one-dimensional transport through physically and geochemically: homogeneous porous media). Results demonstrate that in cases where a small fraction of the influent bacteria have surface characteristics favorable for transport, the prediction of held-scale transport based on labaratory-derived parameters from short column experiments will tend to overestimate substantially the amount of bacterial removal, Results demonstrate the importance of a prior knowledge of the presence of intra-population variability when predicting the field-scale transport of bacteria.