Hydroides elegans (Annelida: Polychaeta): A Model for Biofouling Research

Abstract

Microbial biofouling is a problem of microbial biofilms. Biofouling occurs in very different industrial fields and is mostly addressed individually. However, the underlying phenomenon is much more general and in order to understand the processes causing biofouling, it is good to understand the basics of biofilm formation and development. Almost every surface can be colonized by bacteria, forming biofilms. After adhesion, the cells embed themselves in a layer of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), highly hydrated biopolymers of microbial origin such as polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids and others. In this matrix they organize their life, develop complex interactions and resistance to biocides. The resulting biofilm structure is highly heterogeneous and dynamic. It is kept together by weak physicochemical interactions of extracellular polymeric substances, which have to be overcome when cleaning is attempted. The ecological advantages for the biofilm mode of life are so strong that almost all microorganisms on earth live in biofilm-like microbial aggregates rather than as single organisms.