2] Biofilm formation as a developmental process

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses biofilm formation as a development process. Biofilm cells often exist in localized anoxic microenvironments and/or microenvironments that vary significantly in their pH and ionic strength when compared with cells in the bulk medium. These microenvironments exert dramatic effects on the physiology of biofilm constituents. These physiological characterizations of biofilms are well established, however genetic and molecular biological approaches have only begun to reveal the molecular bases of the distinctions described above. It is important to define the meaning of by “developmental process,” as the term may conjure up different meanings for different readers. In this case, bacterial culture monitors its liquid environment and the surfaces available for colonization and it uses this information to determine whether it will form a biofilm, and if so, the type of biofilm that will be constructed. The developmental nature of biofilm formation also implies that different types of biofilms themselves are capable of monitoring changes in their environment and responding to these changes according to their best interests. In some cases, this may mean the dissolution of the biofilm and, in other cases; it may mean the conversion to a different type of biofilm. This chapter describes some laboratory's approaches to examining the developmental nature of biofilm formation.