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Attachment of Bacteria: Advantage or Disadvantage for Survival in the Aquatic Environment

  • Conference paper
Microbial Adhesion and Aggregation

Part of the book series: Life Sciences Research Reports ((DAHLEM LIFE,volume 31))

Abstract

This review is based on the evaluation of observations of attached bacterial numbers and activities from the aquatic biosphere. The term “activity” is discussed with respect to these bacteria, and it is suggested that measurements of extracellular activities should be applied as a most relevant means to determine the ecological role of attached bacteria. The portion of attached bacteria can vary from a few % to 94% of total bacteria abundance in different aquatic regions depending on particle abundance, particle composition, and nutrient conditions in the water phase. Characteristics of uptake and respiration of dissolved organic compounds do not necessarily exhibit an advantage for attached bacteria in comparison to free-living ones. However, preliminary experiments have shown that attached bacteria are provided with special extracellular enzymatic faculties concerning Vmax and Km of selected enzymes. In sediment systems, where mechanical stress can be a dominant factor, attachment to protected areas is a necessity for the survival of bacteria.

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  1. Institut für Meereskunde, 2300, Kiel, F.R. Germany

    H.-G. Hoppe

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K. C. Marshall

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© 1984 Dr. S. Bernhard, Dahlem Konferenzen, Berlin

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Hoppe, HG. (1984). Attachment of Bacteria: Advantage or Disadvantage for Survival in the Aquatic Environment. In: Marshall, K.C. (eds) Microbial Adhesion and Aggregation. Life Sciences Research Reports, vol 31. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70137-5_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70137-5_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-70139-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-70137-5

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