Microbial response to surface microtopography: the role of metabolism in localized mineral dissolution

We examine the role of microtopographical surface features on sulfide minerals in localizing and aligning bacterial adhesion. Experimental data shows strong correlation between bacterial cell alignment and principal crystallographic axes of pyrite (100 and 110). While bacteria often adhere to visible surface imperfections such as scratches, in many cases no associated surface features are visible. Additionally, the size of the surface imperfection does not unambiguously determine its effect in localizing and aligning bacterial cells. We theoretically model bacterial adhesion. We find that the depth of a surface feature such as a scratch is less important than its cross-sectional shape. Surface features that conform to the bacterial shape can strongly alter local bacterial adhesion energies, even with heights of only 10 nm. Hence, small local surface alterations due to bacterial metabolism could strongly affect local adhesion parameters, and may account for the observed bacterial distributions on mineral surfaces.