Nutrient-rich microhabitats within biofilms are synchronized with the external environment

The nutrient ion concentrations in the interstitial waters of biofilms (BFs) formed on reed and stone surfaces were investigated in the northern and southern basins of Lake Biwa over several years. The following were observed for both types of BF: 1) Concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, and phosphate ions were much (hundreds to thousands of times) higher in the BFs than in the surrounding lake water; 2) the concentration of ions, especially nitrate ions, in the BFs changed seasonally, being higher from winter to spring and lower from summer to autumn, synchronizing with the changes in the lake water; 3) dissolved-form N:P ratios were higher in the lake water than BFs; and 4) the bacterial flora of the BFs differed from that of the lake water, with smaller seasonal variations. The present study reveals for the first time that the inside of BFs in a natural environment is rich in nutrient ions and shows similar seasonal changes as the lake water. The BFs in an aquatic environment provide a microenvironment capable of sustaining a specific bacterial flora different from that in the surrounding lake water.