Our main objectives are to decipher the relative influence of parameters that shape microbial biofilm communities and their biochemical production, but also to detect associated functions as the resistome or polymer biodegradation.
Biofilm communities are usually described along with seawater parameters (temperature, salinity, nutrients, metallic and organic pollutants, hydrodynamics, …) and surface characteristics (wettability, rugosity, smoothness, texturation, chemical nature of (bio)polymers, …). These variables are of importance for experimentations with immersions of artificial substrates in the field, reducing approaches in mesocosms or with representative microbial strain cultures (bacteria and diatoms).
A wide range of analytic techniques can be used including microscopy (environmental scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, …), flow cytometry, metabarcoding (procaryotes and eukaryotes) or characterization of exopolymeric substances of biofilm matrices (classical biochemical assays, FTIR, …). These studies can be followed by functional approaches in multi-omics strategies such as qPCR, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metabolomics or metaproteomics. Such holistic approaches appear relevant to understand the natural and complex process of the role and importance of surface colonization in marine environments.
The advantage of working on a multidisciplinary laboratory allows strong interactions with polymerist and physico-chemical colleagues to better address questions linked with polymer surfaces.
Several topics in major issues of the management of marine areas could be of concern for: (i) contribution to developing innovative antifouling coating including marine sensors or ship hulls; (ii) understanding the biofilm role in plastic degradation in the deep-sea or in pollutants bioaccumulation on the surface of microplastics along seawater column; (iii) monitoring the bioindication of chemical seawater pollution associated with diatom communities, (iv) investigating the interactions between biofilms and macrofoulers and their roles in facilities of marine renewable energies.