Nutrient Ions During Biofilm Forming Process

Abstract Microbial biofilms plays important roles in aquatic environments such as nutrient cycling and purification of pollutants. Such important function will be greatly influenced by the forming process of the biofilm. In this study, the nutrient ions inside the biofilms in relation to biofilm properties during biofilm formation were investigated. The result showed that the formation of biofilm was fast process taking just a week to reach the biomass (measured as wet weight) found for the mature biofilm. The nutrient-rich environment in the biofilm was established from a very early stage. These particular environmental conditions might promote the growth of microbial cells in the biofilm, resulting in a microbial community different from that of the lake water. The electrostatic interaction between ions in the lake water and the charged sites of polymers in the biofilm seemed to be the driving force for the accumulation of ions inside the biofilm. The result of this study suggested that microbial biofilm might play important function in the ecosystems because of the early stage of biofilm forming process.