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INFLUENCE OF SOLID SURFACE, ADHESIVE ABILITY, AND INOCULUM SIZE ON BACTERIAL COLONIZATION IN MICROCOSM STUDIES
Citation:
Warren, T., V. Williams, AND M. Fletcher. INFLUENCE OF SOLID SURFACE, ADHESIVE ABILITY, AND INOCULUM SIZE ON BACTERIAL COLONIZATION IN MICROCOSM STUDIES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-93/218.
Description:
Microcosm studies were performed to evaluate the effect of solid surfaces, bacterial adhesive ability, and inoculum size on colonization success and persistence of P. fluorescens or X maltophilia, each with a Tn5 insertion that conferred resistance to kanamycin and streptomycin. n lake water enrichment microcosms, the presence of beads appeared to influence the abilities of P. fluorescens or X maltophilia to colonize, as numbers of both organisms were greater in microcosms with beads (significant at ame sampling dates at P < 0.01). However, solid surfaces did not appear to facilitate persistence of either organisms, as their numbers decreased with time in microcosms both with and without beads. he adhesiveness of the bacteria, as measured in an in vitro assay, did not relate to colonization success, as P. fluorescens and X maltophilia colonized the microcosms to approximately the same level but P. fluorescens was the more adhesive stream. solates of both strains that had been retrieved from the glass bead surfaces demonstrated adhesive properties similar to those of the original cultures. n simple microcosms, inoculum size (10, 10', or 10') of P. fluorescens did not influence colonization success, as the pseudomonad colonized at all inoculum densities tested. owever, in complex microcosms, an inoculum of 10' was insufficient to ensure colonization by P. fluorescens, while 10' resulted in colonization of liquid and beads. esults demonstrate that simple microcosm studies, only a few species, are poor models for complex natural systems. n complex systems, colonization of surfaces appeared to result in higher numbers of organisms, but did not noticeably promote persistence. dhesiveness of a particular organism is probably a relatively minor factor influencing its ability to colonize solid surfaces in complex natural environments.