BIOFILM STRUCTURE, BEHAVIOR, AND HYDRODYNAMICS

Abstract

This chapter covers the major discoveries associated with biofilm architecture and to discuss some instances where they in turn may be affected by environmental hydrodynamics. Understanding the significance of hydrodynamics in the biofilm life cycle is crucial if we consider the habitats in which the most abundant biofilms tend to accumulate. In summary there are a myriad of factors that influence biofilm development and structure. However, the interaction between hydrodynamics and each of these parameters is poorly characterized. The chapter discusses the influence of hydrodynamics and shear as the major factors that are involved in biofilm architecture, and it is important to keep in mind that all of the identified and yet-to-be-discovered factors are involved in a dynamic, interrelated manner and there is no single global regulating pathway so far known to control this process. The chapter also discusses the roles of hydrodynamics and shear in biofilm structural maturation as well as how they may affect the major factors that are involved in the process. In vitro studies performed in the laboratory and the observations of biofilms growing in the natural environment demonstrate the importance of hydrodynamics and shear in biofilm structural development.