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Ecological Impacts of Aged Freshwater Biofilms on Estuarine Microbial Communities Elucidated Through Microcosm Experiments: A Microbial Invasion Perspective

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Abstract

Inadvertent introductions of alien species via biofilms as a vector released through ballast water are of environmental importance, yet their consequences are not much known. In the present study, biofilm communities developed in an inland freshwater port under in situ and dark conditions were subjected to long-term dark incubations. Subsequently, the impact of these aged biofilms as vectors on estuarine water column communities were evaluated using microcosm experiments in the laboratory. Variations in biofilm and planktonic microbial communities were quantified using quantitative PCR.

Upon prolonged dark incubation, a shift in bacterial diversity with an increase in tolerant bacterial communities better adapted to stress was observed. Actinobacteria were the dominant taxa in both aged biofilms upon dark incubations. The laboratory studies indicated that on exposure of these biofilms to estuarine water, resuscitation of Vibrio alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. cholerae from a dormant state existing in these biofilms to culturable form was observed. Moreover, the results revealed that both the biofilm types can pose a threat to the environment, but the degree of risk can be attributed to the imbalance caused by significant changes in the surrounding estuarine microbial communities. Consequently, this may result in either proliferation or decline of some genera with different metabolic potential and resuscitation of pathogenic forms not present earlier, thereby influencing the ecology of the environment. Quantifying these effects in the field using biofilm metagenomes with an emphasis on virulent species and understanding traits that enable them to adapt to changing environments is a way forward.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to the Director, National Institute of Oceanography, for his support and encouragement. We gratefully acknowledge Dr A.C. Anil, Head of the Department, for his support. The first author acknowledges Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund for the award of JNMF Scholarship. This is NIO contribution No. 6921.

Funding

This study was funded by the Ballast Water Management Program, India (Ministry of Shipping and DG shipping) (GAP 2429), and CSIR funded Ocean Finder Program (PSC 0105).

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  1. CSIR - National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403 004, India

    Niyati Hede & Lidita Khandeparker

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  1. Niyati Hede
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Contributions

NH: Conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, writing—original draft, review & editing. LK: Conceptualization, methodology, validation, formal analysis, investigation, resources, writing—original draft, review & editing, supervision. All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Lidita Khandeparker.

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The authors state that the experiments were carried out under controlled conditions in the laboratory. All the aspects of the study were conducted in compliance with relevant Institutional biosafety and biosecurity protocols, and the manuscript has been approved by the Patents and Publication Committee of the Institute.

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Hede, N., Khandeparker, L. Ecological Impacts of Aged Freshwater Biofilms on Estuarine Microbial Communities Elucidated Through Microcosm Experiments: A Microbial Invasion Perspective. Curr Microbiol 79, 210 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-022-02903-8

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