Hyperbaric biofilms on engineering surfaces formed in the deep sea

Meier, Alexandra; Tsaloglou, Maria-Nefeli; Mowlem, Matthew C.; Keevil, C. William; Connelly, Douglas P.. 2013 Hyperbaric biofilms on engineering surfaces formed in the deep sea. Biofouling, 29 (9). 1029-1042. 10.1080/08927014.2013.824967

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08927014.2013.824967

Abstract/Summary

Biofouling is a major problem for long-term deployment of sensors in the marine environment. This study showed that significant biofilm formation occurred on a variety of artificial materials (glass, copper, Delrin™ and poly-methyl methacrylate [PMMA]) deployed for 10 days at a depth of 4700 m in the Cayman Trough. Biofilm surface coverage was used as an indicator of biomass. The lowest biofilm coverage was on copper and PMMA. Molecular analyses indicated that bacteria dominated the biofilms found on copper, Delrin™ and PMMA with 75, 55 and 73% coverage, respectively. Archea (66%) were dominant on the glass surface simulating interior sensor conditions, whereas Eukarya comprised the highest percentage of microflora (75%) on the glass simulating the exterior of sensors. Analysis of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis profiles indicated that copper and Delrin™ shared the same community diversity, which was not the case for glass and PMMA, or between PMMA and copper/Delrin™. Sequence alignment matches belonged exclusively to uncultivable microorganisms, most of which were not further classified. One extracted sequence found on glass was associated with Cowellia sp., while another extracted from the PMMA surface was associated with a bacterium in the Alterominidaceae, both γ-proteobacteria. The results demonstrate the necessity of understanding biofilm formation in the deep sea and the potential need for mitigation strategies for any kind of long-term deployment of remote sensors in the marine environment.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1080/08927014.2013.824967
ISSN:	0892-7014
Additional Keywords:	biofouling, biofilm formation, deep sea, hyperbaric biofilm
Date made live:	08 Nov 2013 09:57 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/503734

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1080/08927014.2013.824967

ISSN:

0892-7014

Additional Keywords:

biofouling, biofilm formation, deep sea, hyperbaric biofilm

Date made live:

08 Nov 2013 09:57 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/503734