Large scale surface migration of \textit{P. aeruginosa }at early stages of biofilm formation

\textit{Pseudomonas aeruginosa} is a commonly-studied bacterium which can form biofilms, surface-bound aggregates which display increased resistance to various forms of stress, including a greatly enhanced antibiotic resistance. In the early stages of biofilm formation, free-swimming planktonic cells attach to the surface and form microcolonies, expressing a variety of adhesins and transitioning from reversible to irreversible attachment. By using particle tracking algorithms, we can in principle examine the full motility and division history of all cells in a microcolony. Here, we study the effects of the \textit{pel} polysaccharides in microcolony formation by investigating how \textit{pel} impacts the initial stages of biofilm formation by the \textit{P. aeruginosa} PA14 strain. Specifically, we quantify the phenotypic effects of \textit{pel} on initial attachment, microcolony formation, and biofilm morphology.