Biofilm Structure and Function and Possible Implications for Riverine DOC Dynamics

Romaní, Anna M.; Guasch, Helena; Muñoz, Isabel; Ruana, J.; Vilalta, E.; Schwartz, Tara; Emtiazi, Farahnaz; Sabater, Sergi

doi:10.1007/s00248-003-2019-2

Cited by 157 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…and the products of algal lysis can directly stimulate extracellular enzymes, as has been shown for ² glucosidase in stream biofilms 70 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Diversity and Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, respiratory carbon dioxide from these heterotrophs can be assimilated by the phototrophs. This interaction produces benthic biofilms with 'self-sufficient' carbon cycling that is less dependent on external carbon sources if inorganic nutrients and light (as the energy source) are provided 39,70 .Owing to the priming effect, complementary interactions between phototrophs and 13 heterotrophs may also promote the metabolism of the recalcitrant DOM that is often delivered from terrestrial sources into streams. The priming effect enables exudates from phototrophs to provide energy and nutrients (such as nitrate and phosphate) to the biofilm that may otherwise be limiting to microbial growth 71 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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The ecology and biogeochemistry of stream biofilms

et al. 2016

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The perception that most microorganisms live as complex communities that are attached to surfaces has profoundly changed microbiology over the past decades. Most, if not all, bacteria can form biofilms, which are communities of cells embedded in a porous extracellular matrix.Dental plaque, the microorganisms on catheters and implants that cause persistent infections and the fouling of ship hulls and pipework are all examples of biofilms with important implications for public health and industrial processes. Most contemporary biofilm research rests on the discovery made more than 35 years ago by Maurice Lock, Gill Geesey and Bill Costerton: bacteria attached to surfaces dominate microbial life in streams [1][2][3] . These microbiologists pioneered research into stream biofilms, also termed periphyton or epilithon, and described them as complex aggregates of bacteria, algae, protozoa, fungi and meiobenthos. The early study of stream biofilms also highlighted the relevance of interactions between microbial phototrophs and heterotrophs for energy fluxes and the role of the biofilm matrix as the site of extracellular enzyme activity and adsorption of dissolved organic matter (DOM) 3,4 .Since these early days, the study of the ecology and biogeochemistry of stream biofilms has slowly developed in the wake of thriving research on bacterial biofilms -often comprising 3 only a single strain, of interest to medical microbiology, rather than the polymicrobial communities found in stream biofilms -and on the microbial ecology of marine and lake planktonic communities 5 . Unlike bacterial biofilms grown in the laboratory, biofilms in streams are continuously exposed to a diverse inoculum that includes bacteria, archaea, algae, fungi, protozoa and even metazoa. These diverse biological 'building blocks', when combined with the dynamic flow of streamwater, generate biofilms with inherently complex and varying physical structures that have implications for microbial functioning and ecosystem processes 6 . In streams, biofilms are key sites of enzymatic activity 7 , including organic matter cycling, ecosystem respiration and primary production and, as such, form the basis of the food web.Why should we study the ecology and biogeochemistry of stream biofilms? Streams sculpt the continental surface, forming dense and conspicuous channel networks that can be thought of as ecological arteries that perfuse the landscape. Streams are connected to their catchments through various surface and subsurface flow paths and notably through the hyporheic zone in the streambed at the interface between groundwater and streamwater 8 . Microbial cells, solutes and particles enter streams through these flow paths and, en route to downstream ecosystems and ultimately to the oceans, they may interact with the biofilms that colonize the large surface area provided by the streambed as a 'microbial skin' (BOX 1). As a result, the streambed and its biofilm microbiome contribute to biogeochemical fluxes 8 . Indeed, stream biofilms are now recognized as su...

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“…and the products of algal lysis can directly stimulate extracellular enzymes, as has been shown for ² glucosidase in stream biofilms 70 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Diversity and Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The ecology and biogeochemistry of stream biofilms

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“…Biofilms have various properties that may contribute to the uptake, storage and transformation of inorganic and organic nutrients as well as other chemicals, and are important in the self-depuration of water bodies (Romani et al, 2004;Pusch et al, 1998). The autotrophs in biofilms have a high affinity for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the water and can use them for their growth (Perez-Martinez et al, 2010), and EPS in the matrix enable absorption of metals (Jang et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of phosphorus availability on the community structure and physiology of cultured biofilms

Wang

Qin

et al. 2016

Journal of Environmental Sciences

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“…Small-scale variation in the quality and quantity of periphyton can influence the structure and function of river ecosystems at larger scales by affecting biogeochemical cycling and interactions with higher trophic levels (Power 1992b, Wetzel 1993, Kim and Richardson 2000, Romaní et al 2004. The composition and density of algal assemblages can vary over small spatial scales (mm-mm) with microenvironmental variation in light, flow, substrate topography, nutrients, or moisture (Krejci and Lowe 1986, Villeneuve et al 2010.…”

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confidence: 99%