Biofilms vs. cities and humans vs. aliens-a tale of reproducibility in biofilms

• Type: Another Publication in an International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2021

Authors

Azevedo, NF (Author) FEUP; Allkja, J (Author) Other; Goeres, DM (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Trends in Microbiology

Vol. 29

Pages: 1062-1071

ISSN: 0966-842X

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 0 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00V-22E

DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2021.05.003

Abstract (EN): Biofilms are complex and dynamic structures that include many more components than just viable cells. Therefore, the apparently simple goal of growing reproducible biofilms is often elusive. One of the challenges in defining reproducibility for biofilm research is that different research fields use a spectrum of parameters to define reproducibility for their particular application. For instance, is the researcher interested in achieving a similar population density, height of biofilm structures, or function of the biofilm in a certain ecosystem/industrial context? Within this article we categorize reproducibility into four different levels: level 1, no reproducibility; level 2, standard reproducibility; level 3, potential standard reproducibility; and level 4, total reproducibility. To better understand the need for these different levels of reproducibility, we expand on the 'cities of microbes' analogy for biofilms by imagining that a new civilization has reached the Earth's outskirts and starts studying the Earth's cities. This will provide a better sense of scale and illustrate how small details can impact profoundly on the growth and behavior of a biofilm and our understanding of reproducibility.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 10