Exploring the biofilm microenvironment

 Biofilms are everywhere and growth in such surface-associated communities is a predominant lifestyle of microbes in nature and many man-made environments. Life in biofilms means exposure to dynamic changes in the physico-chemical microenvironment of microbes, and strong structural and functional heterogeneity. To study microbial life in biofilms and the associated biogeochemical processes it is thus necessary to explore the biofilm microenvironment. This requires special high-resolution techniques such as microsensors and imaging, and the development and application of such techniques remains a major research focus of my group. In my seminar, I will give an overview to such experimental approaches by addressing methodological details and novel developments, as well as presenting examples of their application in different biofilm habitats.