Structural Heterogeneity and Diversity of Bacillus subtilis 168 Biofilms under Different Conditions

Abstract

Bacteria usually dwell in microbial communities of biofilms surrounded by a self-secreted extracellular matrix. This work assessed effects of different media and temperature on the development of Bacillus subtilis 168 biofilms. We applied Scanning Electron Microscopy to analyse structural differences of the pellicle biofilms grown on LB, NB, and DMS media. Significant differences were observed in biofilm morphology, and unit cell length, highlighting the significance of intricate aspects such as nutrients in bacterial/ biofilm growth. Our findings reveal the adaptation tendency of bacterial through spatial modification of its biofilm structure in response to surrounding environmental conditions such as nutrients, temperature among others, perhaps explaining variations in biofilm morphologies observed. The results present an information on biofilm diversity which could be essential for biofilm applications.