Response of Muddy Sediments and Benthic Diatom-based Biofilms to Repeated Erosion Events

Benthic biofilms, microbes aggregated within a matrix of Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS), are commonly found in shallow coastal areas and intertidal environments. Biofilms have the potential to stabilize sediments, hence reducing erosion and possibly mitigating land loss. The purpose of this study is to determine how repeated flow events that rework the bed affect biofilm growth and its ability to stabilize cohesive sediments.

Natural mud devoid of grazers was used to create placed beds in four annular flumes; biofilms were allowed to grow on the sediment surface. Each flume was eroded at different time intervals (1 or 12 days) to allow for varied levels of biofilm growth and adjustment following erosion. In addition, experiments with abiotic mud were performed by adding bleach to the tank. Each erosion test consisted of step-wise increases in flow that were used to measured erodibility.

In the experiments where the bed was eroded every day both the abiotic and biotic flumes exhibited a decrease in erodibility with time, likely due to consolidation, but the decrease in erodibility was greater in the flume with a biofilm. Specifically the presence of biofilm reduced bed erosion at low shear stresses (~0.1 Pa). We attribute this progressive decrease in erodibility to the accumulation of EPS over time: even though the biofilm was eroded during each erosion event, the EPS was retained within the flume, mixed with the eroded sediment and eventually settled. Less frequent erosion allowed the growth of a stronger biofilm that decreased bed erosion at higher shear stresses (~0.4 Pa).

We conclude that the time between destructive flow events influences the ability of biofilms to stabilize sediments. This influence will likely be affected by biofilm growth conditions such as light, temperature, nutrients, salinity, and the microbial community.