Ecological Linkages between a Biofilm Ecosystem and Reactor Performance: The Specificity of Biofilm Development Phases

Abstract

In biofilm-based engineered ecosystems, the reactor performance was closely linked to interspecies interactions within a biofilm ecosystem, whereas the ecological processes underpinning such linkage were still unenlightened. Herein, the principles of community succession and assembly were integrated to capture the ecological laws of biofilm development by molecular ecological networks and assembly model analysis based on the 16S rRNA sequencing analysis and metagenomics in a well-controlled moving bed biofilm reactor. At the initial colonization phase (days 0−2, driven by initial colonizers), interspecific cooperation (74.18%) facilitated initial biofilm formation, whereas some pioneers, and keystone species disappeared at later phases. At the accumulation phase (days 3−30, rapid biofilm development), interspecific cooperation (81.41 ± 5.07%) contributed to rapid biofilm development and keystone species were mainly involved in quorum sensing or positively correlated with extracellular polymeric substance production. At the maturation phase (days 31−106, a well-adapted quasi-equilibrium state), increased interspecific competition (32.74 ± 4.77%) and higher small-world property facilitated the rapid information transportation and pollutant treatment, and keystone species were positively correlated with the removal of COD and NH 4 + -N. Homogenizing dispersal diminished the contemporary community dissimilarities, while turnover but rather nestedness governed the temporal variations in the biofilm succession period. This study highlighted the specificity of ecological processes at distinct biofilm development phases, which would advance our understanding on the development-to-function linkages in biofilm-based treatment processes.

Effect of Fe3+ on the nutrient removal performance and microbial community in a biofilm system

“…Microorganisms are the main drivers of biofilm processes, for which Fe 3+ is an essential nutrient ( Yuan et al, 2021 ). In the present study, we examined the effects of Fe 3+ on the structure and function of microbes and key functional genes.…”

“…Microorganisms are the main drivers of biofilm processes, for which Fe 3+ is an essential nutrient (Yuan et al, 2021).…”

Microbial community regulation and performance enhancement in gas biofilters by interrupting bacterial communication

“…During the biofilm formation stage, some keystone species acted as pioneers and facilitated the formation and adhesion of biofilms on the carrier surface. These pioneers disappeared during the biofilm accumulation stage, indicating selective succession of biofilms [ 19 , 63 ]. In this study, the differences in keystone species in BF and QQBF biofilms (Fig.…”

“…The assembly and evolution of microbial communities during long-term operation may affect many behaviors in bioreactors, such as biofilm adhesion and biomass accumulation [ 19 , 20 ]. Moreover, changes in the composition of activated sludge can cause uncertainties in biofilm formation and accumulation [ 21 – 24 ].…”

Revealing the Dual Functions of Graphene Oxide to Promote the Antibiofouling Property in Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors

“…However, whether the two functions can both work remains unknown, and the exact role of dual-functional cooperation in mitigating biofouling remains to be elucidated. In addition, it has been suggested that biofouling is a dynamic process, 25 which includes the adhesion to the membrane surface and biofilm succession. Therefore, revealing the mechanism of GO in alleviating biofouling from both the microbiological and thermodynamic perspectives is necessary.…”