Identification of microbial exopolymer producers in sandy and muddy intertidal sediments by compound-specific isotope analysis

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) refer to a wide variety of high molecular weight molecules secreted outside the cell membrane by biofilm microorganisms. In the present study, EPS from marine microphytobenthic biofilms were extracted and their isotope ratios were analysed. A comparison of these ratios with the carbon isotope ratios of fatty acid biomarkers allowed the identification of the main EPS producers of two contrasting types of intertidal marine sediments. Our study reveals that EPS sources are more diverse in sandy sediments than in muddy sediments. We also found distinct patterns in the production and breakdown of EPS in sandy and muddy environments. The main difference observed was in how epipelic and epipsammic diatoms affected the chemistry of EPS, which had significant implications for the growth of bacteria specialized in utilizing EPS. These differences were likely linked to variations in the functioning of epipelic and epipsammic communities, specifically in how EPS was used either for motility or for cell attachment.