___________ of oral bacteria together in aggregates/biofilms allows multiple species to come together to break down glycans and supply required nutrients.

• A. Aggregation
• B. Adherence
• C. Coaggregation
• D. Adhesion

Answer: (B)

Adherence is the process that allows bacteria to attach to each other and to surfaces, initiating the formation of biofilms. In the oral cavity, when different species come into close contact through adhesive interactions—such as adhesins, pili, and extracellular polysaccharides—they can form mixed-species aggregates. This close proximity enables metabolic cooperation: enzymes from one species can break down complex glycans, releasing sugars and nutrients that other species can use. The result is a cooperative, multispecies biofilm where guilds of bacteria meet nutritional needs through shared resources.

Aggregation refers more to clumping of cells, often of the same species, rather than a multispecies, surface-attached community. Adhesion is typically used to describe attachment to a surface rather than to other cells. Coaggregation would emphasize the specific binding between two different species, a precise form of cell–cell interaction, but the statement here describes the broader process by which multispecies communities form through adherence, which then enables the nutritional synergy observed in oral biofilms.