Analysis of Dissolved Organic Nutrients in the Interstitial Water of Natural Biofilms.

In biofilms, the matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) retains water in the interstitial region of the EPS. This interstitial water is the ambient environment for microorganisms in the biofilms. The nutrient condition in the interstitial water may affect microbial activity in the biofilms.

Virtual metagenome reconstruction from 16S rRNA gene sequences.

Microbial ecologists have investigated roles of species richness and diversity in a wide variety of ecosystems. Recently, metagenomics have been developed to measure functions in ecosystems, but this approach is cost-intensive. Here we describe a novel method for the rapid and efficient reconstruction of a virtual metagenome in environmental microbial communities without using large-scale genomic sequencing.

Seasonal change of bacterial community structure in a biofilm formed on the surface of the aquatic macrophyte Phragmites australis.

The seasonal change of bacterial community structure in biofilms on the surface of reed (Phragmites australis) was investigated for about three years (from 2005 June to 2008 March) in Lake Biwa by comparing it with that in surrounding lake water. The community structure in biofilms was different from that in the lake water throughout the seasons and years. The community structure in lake water was similar in the same seasons of different years, corresponding to similar environmental factors (i.