CONCLUSIONS
The application of new analytical techniques have greatly increased the specificity and
sensitivity of the destructive chemical analysis of biofilms for signature components that
can provide insight into the biomass, community structure, nutritional status, and
metabolic activities of the microbes and their extracellular products. The application of
the non-destructive FT/IR to biofilms provides a second analytical tool that can provide
real time estimates of some of these parameters. IR spectra of lyophilized biofilms
measured with the diffuse reflectance cell show the presence of polysaccharide in Pseudomonas atlantica, and the PHA in Bacillus subtilis compared to E. coli (Figure 1).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was supported by grants OCE-80-19757 from the Biological Oceanography Section of the
National Science Foundation, NAG-2-149 of the Advanced Life Support System Office, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration and contracts N00014-82-C0404 and NOOO14-83-K0056 from the Department of the
Navy, Office of Naval Research, CR 80-9994 from the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory of
the Environmental Protection Agency.
BELLAMY L.T., 1958. The infrared spectra of complex molecules, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
BOBBIE R.J., MORRISON S.J. and WHITE D.C., 1978. Effects of substrate biodegradability on the mass and
activity of the associated estuarine microbiota. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 35: 179-184.
BOBBIE R.J. and WHITE D.C., 1980. Characterization of benthic microbiol community structure by high
resolution gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 39: 1212-1222.
BOBBIE R.J., NICKELS J.S., SMITH G.A., FAZIO S.D., FINDLAY R.H., DAVIS W.M. and WHITE D.C., 1981. Effect
of light on the biomass and community structure of the estuarine detrital microbiota. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
42: 150-158.
FAZIO S.A., UHLINGER D.J., PARKER J.H. and WHITE D.C., 1982. Estimations of uronic acids as quantitative
measures of extracellular polysaccharide and cell wall polymers from environmental samples. Appl. Environ.
Microbiol 43: 1151-1159.
FEDERLE T.W., LIVINGSTON R.J., MEETER D.A. and WHITE D.C., 1983. Modification of estuarine sedimentary
microbiota by exclusion of top predators. J. Exp. Marine Biol. Ecol. 73: 81-94.
FINDLAY R.H. and WHITE D.C., 1983a. The effects of feeding by the sand dollar Mellila quinquiesperforata on
the benthic microbial community. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 72: 25-41.
FINDLAY R.H. and WHITE D.C., 1983b. Polymeric beta-hydroxy-alkanoates from environmental samples and
Bacillus megaterium. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 45: 71-78.
FINDLAY R.H. and WHITE D.C., 1984. In situ determination of metabolic activity in aquatic environments.
Microbiological Sciences : 90-95
FINDLAY R.H., MORIARTY D.J.W. and WHITE D.C., 1983. Improved method of determining muramic acid from
environmental samples. Geomicrobiology J. 3: 133-150.
FINDLAY R.H., POLLARD P.C., MORIARTY D.J.W. and WHITE D.C., 1985. Quantitative determination of
microbial activity and community nutritional status in estuarine sediments : evidence for a disturbance artifact.
Canad. J. Microbiol. 31 : 493-498.
GEHRON M.J. and WHITE D.C., 1982. Quantitative determination of the nutritional status of detrital microbiota
and the grazing fauna by triglyceride glycerol analysis. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 64: 145-158.
GEHRON M.J. and WHITE D.C., 1983. Sensitive assay of phospholipid glycerol in environmental samples. J.
Microbiol, methods 1: 23-32.
GEHRON M.J., DAVIS J.D., SMITH G.A. and WHITE D.C., 1984. Determination of the gram-positive content of
soils and sediments by analysis of teichoic acid components. J. Microbiol Methods 2: 165-176.
215
The application of new analytical techniques have greatly increased the specificity and
sensitivity of the destructive chemical analysis of biofilms for signature components that
can provide insight into the biomass, community structure, nutritional status, and
metabolic activities of the microbes and their extracellular products. The application of
the non-destructive FT/IR to biofilms provides a second analytical tool that can provide
real time estimates of some of these parameters. IR spectra of lyophilized biofilms
measured with the diffuse reflectance cell show the presence of polysaccharide in Pseudomonas atlantica, and the PHA in Bacillus subtilis compared to E. coli (Figure 1).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was supported by grants OCE-80-19757 from the Biological Oceanography Section of the
National Science Foundation, NAG-2-149 of the Advanced Life Support System Office, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration and contracts N00014-82-C0404 and NOOO14-83-K0056 from the Department of the
Navy, Office of Naval Research, CR 80-9994 from the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory of
the Environmental Protection Agency.
BELLAMY L.T., 1958. The infrared spectra of complex molecules, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
BOBBIE R.J., MORRISON S.J. and WHITE D.C., 1978. Effects of substrate biodegradability on the mass and
activity of the associated estuarine microbiota. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 35: 179-184.
BOBBIE R.J. and WHITE D.C., 1980. Characterization of benthic microbiol community structure by high
resolution gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 39: 1212-1222.
BOBBIE R.J., NICKELS J.S., SMITH G.A., FAZIO S.D., FINDLAY R.H., DAVIS W.M. and WHITE D.C., 1981. Effect
of light on the biomass and community structure of the estuarine detrital microbiota. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
42: 150-158.
FAZIO S.A., UHLINGER D.J., PARKER J.H. and WHITE D.C., 1982. Estimations of uronic acids as quantitative
measures of extracellular polysaccharide and cell wall polymers from environmental samples. Appl. Environ.
Microbiol 43: 1151-1159.
FEDERLE T.W., LIVINGSTON R.J., MEETER D.A. and WHITE D.C., 1983. Modification of estuarine sedimentary
microbiota by exclusion of top predators. J. Exp. Marine Biol. Ecol. 73: 81-94.
FINDLAY R.H. and WHITE D.C., 1983a. The effects of feeding by the sand dollar Mellila quinquiesperforata on
the benthic microbial community. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 72: 25-41.
FINDLAY R.H. and WHITE D.C., 1983b. Polymeric beta-hydroxy-alkanoates from environmental samples and
Bacillus megaterium. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 45: 71-78.
FINDLAY R.H. and WHITE D.C., 1984. In situ determination of metabolic activity in aquatic environments.
Microbiological Sciences : 90-95
FINDLAY R.H., MORIARTY D.J.W. and WHITE D.C., 1983. Improved method of determining muramic acid from
environmental samples. Geomicrobiology J. 3: 133-150.
FINDLAY R.H., POLLARD P.C., MORIARTY D.J.W. and WHITE D.C., 1985. Quantitative determination of
microbial activity and community nutritional status in estuarine sediments : evidence for a disturbance artifact.
Canad. J. Microbiol. 31 : 493-498.
GEHRON M.J. and WHITE D.C., 1982. Quantitative determination of the nutritional status of detrital microbiota
and the grazing fauna by triglyceride glycerol analysis. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 64: 145-158.
GEHRON M.J. and WHITE D.C., 1983. Sensitive assay of phospholipid glycerol in environmental samples. J.
Microbiol, methods 1: 23-32.
GEHRON M.J., DAVIS J.D., SMITH G.A. and WHITE D.C., 1984. Determination of the gram-positive content of
soils and sediments by analysis of teichoic acid components. J. Microbiol Methods 2: 165-176.
215