Biology
Textbooks
Boundless Biology
Prokaryotes: Bacteria and Archaea
Prokaryotic Diversity
Biology Textbooks Boundless Biology Prokaryotes: Bacteria and Archaea Prokaryotic Diversity
Biology Textbooks Boundless Biology Prokaryotes: Bacteria and Archaea
Biology Textbooks Boundless Biology
Biology Textbooks
Biology
Concept Version 9
Created by Boundless

Extremophiles and Biofilms

Biofilm Development

Biofilm Development

Five stages of biofilm development are shown. During stage 1, initial attachment, bacteria adhere to a solid surface via weak van der Waals interactions. During stage 2, irreversible attachment, hairlike appendages called pili permanently anchor the bacteria to the surface. During stage 3, maturation I, the biofilm grows through cell division and recruitment of other bacteria. An extracellular matrix composed primarily of polysaccharides holds the biofilm together. During stage 4, maturation II, the biofilm continues to grow and takes on a more complex shape. During stage 5, dispersal, the biofilm matrix is partly broken down, allowing some bacteria to escape and colonize another surface. Micrographs of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm in each of the stages of development are shown.

Source

    Boundless vets and curates high-quality, openly licensed content from around the Internet. This particular resource used the following sources:

    "OpenStax College, Prokaryotic Diversity. October 16, 2013."
    http://cnx.org/content/m44603/latest/Figure_22_01_07.png OpenStax CNX CC BY 3.0.

Related Terms

  • alkaliphile
  • halophile
  • extremophile
  • Subjects
    • Accounting
    • Algebra
    • Art History
    • Biology
    • Business
    • Calculus
    • Chemistry
    • Communications
    • Economics
    • Finance
    • Management
    • Marketing
    • Microbiology
    • Physics
    • Physiology
    • Political Science
    • Psychology
    • Sociology
    • Statistics
    • U.S. History
    • World History
    • Writing

    Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.