Use of convertible flow cells to simulate the impacts of anthropogenic activities on river biofilm bacterial communities

Abstract

Bacterial attachment to surfaces and the development of biofilms are crucial processes during the self-purification of polluted rivers. Biofilm bacterial communities also are a potential indicator of the human impact on an aquatic system. Here, we used indoor reactors with 7.7cm³ transparent convertible flow cells to observe the formation of biofilms in river water from different land-use areas (i.e., an undisturbed mountainous area, a wastewater-discharge urban area, and a pesticide-fertilizer applied agricultural area). We then compared the bacterial biomass, composition, and function among the formed biofilms and explored whether the biofilm bacterial communities formed in polluted river water (urban area) could shift to those formed in unpolluted water (mountainous area) after simulating water-body remediation. After 60d of indoor biofilm cultivation, the biofilms formed with the three types of influent were markedly different. Anthropogenic activities (e.g., wastewater discharge and pesticide-fertilizer use) facilitated biofilm bacterial production and the metabolic rate and altered the composition and metabolic patterns of the biofilm bacterial communities. After switching from an urban water to mountainous water influent in the same reactor, the biofilm bacterial communities that initially formed in the polluted discharge did not shift to that formed in unpolluted water. This result indicated that even after water remediation, the composition of the river biofilm bacterial community would not recover to a community like that observed under non-polluted conditions. Our study highlights possible issues related to current pollution-remediation routines and emphasizes the importance of sustainable anthropogenic activities within river basins.

Keywords: Bacterial diversity; Convertible flow cells; Microbial ecotoxicology; Microbial metabolism; Recovery.