Biotic and abiotic surfaces in marine waters are rapidly colonized by microorganisms. Surface colonization and subsequent biofilm formation and development provide numerous advantages to these organisms and support critical ecological and biogeochemical functions in the changing marine environment. Microbial surface association also contributes to deleterious effects such as biofouling, biocorrosion, and the persistence and transmission of harmful or pathogenic microorganisms and their genetic determinants. The processes and mechanisms of colonization as well as key players among the surface-associated microbiota have been studied for several decades. Accumulating evidence indicates that specific cell-surface, cell-cell, and interpopulation interactions shape the composition, structure, spatiotemporal dynamics, and functions of surface-associated microbial communities. Several key microbial processes and mechanisms, including (i) surface, population, and community sensing and signaling, (ii) intraspecies and interspecies communication and interaction, and (iii) the regulatory balance between cooperation and competition, have been identified as critical for the microbial surface association lifestyle. In this review, recent progress in the study of marine microbial surface colonization and biofilm development is synthesized and discussed. Major gaps in our knowledge remain. We pose questions for targeted investigation of surface-specific community-level microbial features, answers to which would advance our understanding of surface-associated microbial community ecology and the biogeochemical functions of these communities at levels from molecular mechanistic details through systems biological integration.

中文翻译：

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海洋环境中的微生物表面定殖和生物膜发展。

海水中的生物和非生物表面被微生物迅速定殖。表面定殖以及随后的生物膜形成和发展为这些生物提供了许多优势，并在不断变化的海洋环境中支持了关键的生态和生物地球化学功能。微生物表面缔合还导致有害作用，例如生物污染，生物腐蚀以及有害或致病微生物及其遗传决定因素的持久性和传播性。数十年来，已经研究了与表面相关的微生物群中的定殖过程和机制以及关键因素。越来越多的证据表明，特定的细胞表面，细胞间以及群体间的相互作用会影响其组成，结构，时空动态，和表面相关微生物群落的功能。已经确定了几个关键的微生物过程和机制，包括（i）表面，种群和社区的感知和信号传递，（ii）种内和种间的交流与相互作用，以及（iii）合作与竞争之间的监管平衡对微生物表面缔合的生活方式。在这篇综述中，综述和讨论了海洋微生物表面定殖和生物膜发育研究的最新进展。我们的知识仍然存在重大差距。我们提出了针对特定于表面的社区一级微生物特征进行调查的问题，