Bacterial biofilms on thalli of Laboulbeniales: a community uncovered

Bacterial biofilms have been described on a number of fungal taxa. These microbial communities are of interest both from an ecological and a biotechnological point of view, as they have been shown to play a role in biodegradation and biosynthesis. This study is the first to show the presence of biofilms on thallus surfaces of Laboulbeniales, an order of fungi that have biotrophic associations with arthropod hosts. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs show an abundance of bacterial biofilms on thalli of three species: Laboulbenia eollae associated with Paranchua albipes (Carabidae), L. flagellata associated with Limodromus aaaimilia (Carabidae), and Hespemmyees vireseens s.l. associated with liarmonia axyridis (Coccinellidae). These bacterial communities were mainly found on the thalli, and only in small quantities on the arthropod integument. We suggest genetics and metabolomics approaches to investigate possible interactions between Laboulbeniales fungi and the biofilms. Our work has laid a foundation for future research on biofilms on Laboulbeniomycetes.

Automated summary

This study is the first to find bacterial biofilms on the thallus surfaces of Laboulbeniales fungi. These biofilms are of great ecological and biotechnological interest as they are involved in biodegradation and biosynthesis.