Succession of microbial communities in alternating aerobic-anaerobic electroactive biofilms

In the case of oxygen intrusion, Geobacter has to cooperate with aerobes to survive. Here, the objective of this study was to explore the microbial interactions surrounding Geobacter species, especially the competitive relationship, in a long-term alternating aerobic-anaerobic environment. To achieve this goal, electroactive biofilms were cultured in single-chamber air-cathode (oxygen can passively diffuse into the medium) MFCs for 20 months to constantly monitor constantly monitor their overall or stratified electroactivity and the succession law of microbial communities.Our findings provided constructive solutions for improving the competitiveness of Geobacter and maintaining high-efficiency electroactivity in EABs and even the entire ecosystem.