Ironing Out The Wrinkles: The Role of Buckling and Delamination in Structuring Rugose Biofilms

In nature, almost all biofilm constituents secrete extracellular products, which give biofilms many of their advantages over their single-celled constituents. One of the primary functions of these extracellular secretions is to structure the biofilm. However, the specifics of this structuring—and thus the degree to which it is valuable—depend strongly on material properties of the substrate on which is grows. Previous work [Nolte et al.] has shown that in thin polymer films on compliant substrates, both surface wrinkling and buckle delamination can occur. Here, we examine the presence and relative prevalence of wrinkling and delamination of rugose V. cholerae biofilms on agar substrates of difference stiffnesses using confocal microscopy, and argue that the secretion of EPSes in natural environments is a favorable strategy for structuring and survival.