Physiology of microbes in biofilms.
Microbial biofilms are governed by an intricate interplay between physical-chemical factors and the physiological and genetic properties of the inhabiting microbes. Many of the physiological traits that are exhibited in a biofilm environment have been observed and studied previously in detail in planktonic cultures. However, their differential and combinatorial phenotypic expression in distinct subpopulations localized to different regions in a biofilm is the cause for the overall biofilm heterogeneity. In this chapter, the causes and consequences of this interplay are elaborated with a special focus on processes controlling biofilm stability and dispersal.
Spormann
A M
AM
Department of Chemical Engineering of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5429, USA. spormann@stanford.edu
D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020592:Shewanella / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*