Estuarine Biofilm Communities Adapt to Changing Conditions While Retaining Crucial Pollutant-Combatting Functions.

Estuarine sediment biofilms from contaminated tropical sites retain core pollutant-degradation and nutrient-processing functions while metabolic diversity and cross-feeding support adaptation under changing conditions.

• Why it matters: Pollutant influx disrupts sediment nutrient cycling and threatens coastal food webs, but how biofilm functions respond in tropical estuaries is still unclear.
• What they did: Biofilms from contaminated estuarine sediments were profiled with metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) and genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) using a paired field–laboratory approach, including GEM simulations for cross-feeding.
• The result: Field biofilms showed greater metabolic diversity and co-occurrence of conserved genes for organic compound degradation and metal transport, while culture conditions altered succession yet preserved key functions, informing interpretation of microphytobenthic lab experiments affected by the “bottle effect.”

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