Objectives

• to indicate why living in a biofilm is advantageous to a bacterium
• to explain how biofilms become established, grow and diversify
• to explain the concept of emergent properties and show that biofilms exhibit such properties

Outcomes

By the time you have completed this section you will able to:

• describe the growth pattern of a typical biofilm from its initiation to dispersal
• describe how biofilms growing in very different habitats and including many different organisms are in many ways similar
• explain why biofilms offer advantages to the bacteria that live in them
• define the term emergence and explain what characteristics of biofilms may be considered emergent properties
• explain how altruism and cheating behavior may have very ancient evolutionary roots
• describe the factors that contribute to biofilm structure and growth
• draw a diagram showing the various elements of a Quorum Sensing system and show how the elements are interconnected