The production of a highly specialized cell structure called a spore is a remarkable example of a survival strategy displayed by bacteria in response to challenging environmental conditions. The detailed analysis and description of the process of sporulation in selected model organisms have generated a solid background to understand the cellular processes leading to the formation of this specialized cell. However, much less is known regarding the ecology of spore-formers. This research gap needs to be filled as the feature of resistance has important implications not only on the survival of spore-formers and their ecology, but also on the use of spores for environmental prospection and biotechnological applications.

高度专业化的细胞结构（称为孢子）的产生，是细菌对具有挑战性的环境条件做出反应而表现出的生存策略的一个杰出例子。在选定的模型生物中，孢子形成过程的详细分析和描述产生了扎实的背景，以了解导致这种专门细胞形成的细胞过程。然而，关于孢子形成者的生态学知之甚少。由于抗性的特征不仅对孢子形成者的生存及其生态学，而且对将孢子用于环境勘探和生物技术应用都具有重要意义，因此需要填补这一研究空白。