Data from: Flow cytometry combined with viSNE for analysis of microbial biofilms and detection of microplastics

Biofilms serve essential ecosystem functions and are used in different technical applications. Studies from stream ecology and waste-water treatment have shown that biofilm functionality depends to a great extent on community structure. Here we present a fast and easy-to-use method for individual cell-based analysis of stream biofilms, based on stain-free flow cytometry and visualization of the high-dimensional data by viSNE. The method allows the combined assessment of community structure, decay of phototrophic organisms and presence of abiotic particles. In laboratory experiments, it allows quantification of cellular decay and detection of survival of larger cells after temperature stress, while in the field it enables detection of community structure changes that correlate with known environmental drivers (flow conditions, dissolved organic carbon, calcium) and detection of microplastic contamination. The method can potentially be applied to other biofilm types, for example, for inferring community structure for environmental and industrial research and monitoring.生物膜（Biofilms）兼具关键生态系统功能与多样技术应用价值。河流生态学与污水处理领域的相关研究证实，生物膜的功能表现很大程度上取决于其群落结构。本研究提出一种基于无染色流式细胞术（stain-free flow cytometry）与viSNE高维数据可视化的快速易用方法，用于河流生物膜的单细胞分析。该方法可同步评估群落结构、光合生物的衰亡进程以及非生物颗粒的存在状况。在实验室可控实验中，该方法能够量化细胞衰亡水平，并检测温度胁迫后大型细胞的存活情况；而在野外实地监测中，其可识别与已知环境驱动因子（水流条件、溶解性有机碳、钙）相关的群落结构变化，同时可检出微塑料污染。该方法有望推广应用于其他类型的生物膜，例如用于环境与工业研究及监测中的群落结构推断。