identifier: traitmech:000054 label: predatory bacterium definition: A trophic-ecology lifestyle in which a bacterium actively kills and consumes other bacteria for nutrients, e.g. the periplasmic predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus. definition_source: DOI:10.1146/annurev.micro.091208.073346 trait_category: ECOLOGY term_kind: CLASS mapping_status: REVIEWED parent_traits: - METPO:1000059 synonyms: - synonym_text: bacterial predator synonym_type: RELATED_SYNONYM source: DOI:10.1146/annurev.micro.091208.073346 evidence: - reference: DOI:10.1146/annurev.micro.091208.073346 notes: Sockett, "Predatory lifestyle of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus", describes invasion, killing, and digestion of prey bacteria as a predatory lifestyle. - reference: DOI:10.1111/1462-2920.13171 notes: Pérez et al. survey predatory bacteria, their hunting strategies, prey ranges, and genome characteristics. canonical_examples: - taxon_id: NCBITaxon:959 taxon_label: Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus note: "Model predatory bacterium; invades the periplasm of Gram-negative prey (strain HD100)." reference: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1913455/ causal_graphs: - graph_id: predatory_bacterium_prey_killing title: Predatory bacteria kill and consume other bacteria description: Evidence-backed causal sketch linking prey invasion to bacteriolytic killing and predator nutrient acquisition. nodes: - node_id: predatory_trait label: predatory bacterium node_type: TRAIT grounding: traitmech:000054 description: Bacterial lifestyle of killing and consuming other bacteria. - node_id: prey_bacterium label: prey bacterium node_type: ENVIRONMENTAL_FACTOR description: Target bacterial cell of the predatory attack. - node_id: prey_killing label: bacteriolytic killing node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS description: Lysis or digestion of prey bacterial cells. - node_id: invasion_portal label: prey attachment/invasion complex (portal) node_type: CELLULAR_LOCALIZATION description: Flexible portal complex lining the prey peptidoglycan entry hole during predator invasion. - node_id: prey_entry_pore label: prey peptidoglycan entry pore / bdelloplast pore node_type: CELLULAR_LOCALIZATION description: Hole in the prey peptidoglycan through which the predator enters; sealed to form the bdelloplast. - node_id: prey_cell_wall_modification label: prey cell-wall modification enzymes node_type: MOLECULAR_FUNCTION description: Predator enzymes that modify the prey cell wall during invasion. - node_id: bdelloplast label: bdelloplast node_type: CELLULAR_LOCALIZATION description: Rounded, sealed killed-prey cell within which the predator grows and replicates. - node_id: intraperiplasmic_growth label: intraperiplasmic growth / predator replication node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS description: Growth and replication of the predator inside the prey periplasm (bdelloplast). - node_id: exit_lytic_activity label: exit-associated lytic activity node_type: MOLECULAR_FUNCTION description: Lytic activity that breaks down the prey cell wall to release predator progeny. - node_id: progeny_release label: prey cell-wall lysis and progeny release node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS description: Lysis of the spent prey cell wall and exit of newly formed predator progeny. edges: - subject: predatory_trait predicate: enables object: prey_killing description: Predatory bacteria invade and lyse prey cells for nutrients. evidence: - reference: DOI:10.1146/annurev.micro.091208.073346 notes: Sockett describes Bdellovibrio invasion and digestion of prey bacteria. predicate_id: RO:0002327 - subject: prey_killing predicate: consumes object: prey_bacterium description: Killed prey cells provide nutrients to the predator. evidence: - reference: DOI:10.1111/1462-2920.13171 notes: Pérez et al. survey predatory bacteria and their prey-killing strategies. predicate_id: biolink:consumes - subject: invasion_portal predicate: seals object: prey_entry_pore description: A flexible portal lines the prey peptidoglycan hole and seals the entry pore to form a bdelloplast. evidence: - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41564-023-01401-2 notes: 'Cryo-ET: a flexible portal lines the hole during entry and the entry pore is sealed to form a bdelloplast.' - subject: prey_cell_wall_modification predicate: causes object: bdelloplast description: Predator modification of the prey cell wall rounds the killed prey into a bdelloplast. evidence: - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-47412-3 notes: During invasion the predator modifies the prey cell wall, rounding the killed prey into a bdelloplast. predicate_id: biolink:causes - subject: bdelloplast predicate: provides environment for object: intraperiplasmic_growth description: The sealed bdelloplast houses a live predator that grows and replicates inside the prey periplasm. evidence: - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41564-023-01401-2 notes: The sealed bdelloplast contains a live predator that grows and replicates inside the prey periplasm. - subject: exit_lytic_activity predicate: causes object: progeny_release description: After septation, lytic activity breaks the prey cell wall so progeny lyse and exit. evidence: - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41564-023-01401-2 notes: After synchronous septation, progeny lyse the prey cell wall and exit. predicate_id: biolink:causes curation_history: - timestamp: '2026-06-02T00:00:00Z' curator: claude action: PROPOSED_FROM_RESEARCH changes: Proposed candidate ECOLOGY trait (predatory bacterium) from literature research to fill the trophic-ecology gap. llm_assisted: true - timestamp: '2026-06-09T14:00:00Z' curator: claude action: CURATED_CAUSAL_GRAPH changes: Added evidence-backed causal graph (predator / prey killing) with RO/biolink predicate groundings; promoted PROPOSED to REVIEWED. llm_assisted: true - timestamp: '2026-06-23T00:00:00Z' curator: claude action: ENRICH_CAUSAL_GRAPH changes: Added 4 evidence-backed generic edges (7 new nodes) from the deep-research report. llm_assisted: true - timestamp: '2026-06-24T17:21:09Z' curator: claude action: GROUND_CAUSAL_PREDICATES changes: Grounded 2 causal-edge predicate_id field(s) via mappings/predicate_grounding.tsv (biolink:causes×2). llm_assisted: true