Effects of environmental conditions on the sessile existence of an estuarine sediment bacterium

Abstract

A submerged glass coverslip technique was developed to determine dissolved organic nutrient uptake by adherent cells of a sediment isolate of Enterobacter cloacae . Cells which colonized the coverslips in swirling culture flasks during anaerobic growth remained firmly attached during manipulations employed to determine uptake of radiolabeled glucose by the adherent population. The attached cells were capable of a more rapid rate of glucose uptake than free cells. Lineweaver-Burk plots demonstrated different glucose uptake kinetics for the 2 cell populations. The data suggest that physiological changes occur in cells soon after they become attached to surfaces. These changes appear to enhance the metabolic activity of the adherent population.