Understanding microbial diversity of marine biofilm on antifouling paint surface

Bacteria initiate biofouling in the marine environment, leading to material deterioration and increased drag forces for marine vessels. To investigate marine biofilms on artificial surfaces, biofilms were established on panels coated with PSX700 yellow (PPG Industries, USA), including freshly coated as well as used panels. To study biofilm community composition, assembly, and disruption, metagenomic sequencing at various timepoints (up to two months) was performed, and bacterial isolates were harvested from the biofilms and surrounding water samples. Isolation procedures included the use of 17 media types, two types of enrichment, and four temperatures (5, 15, 22 and 30 degrees Celsius). Prior to whole genome sequencing, 492 unique isolates were selected for 16S sequencing based on media/morphology uniqueness. The 16S ID and morphology were used to guide the selection of 179 isolates at the time of initial submission for whole genome sequencing with Illumina (n=62), Oxford Nanopore Technology (n=51), and both (n=66). This study provides new insights into biofilm formation and function on artificial surfaces in the marine environment, in addition to a diverse collection of marine bacteria isolates with complete genome information.