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Environmental factors control microbial colonization of plastics in the North Sea
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This study examined microbial colonization of four plastic types (PE, PS, PET, nylon) in ex-situ North Sea incubation experiments over 45 days, finding that time, seawater origin, and plastic type significantly influenced community succession. Several genera with plastic degradation potential were identified, with Ketobacter and Microbacterium showing preference for specific plastic substrates, supporting the role of microbes in marine plastic biodegradation.
Large quantities of plastic enter the oceans each year providing extensive attachment surfaces for marine microbes yet understanding their interactions and colonization of plastic debris remains limited. We investigated microbial colonization of various plastic types (polyethylene, polystyrene, polyethylene-terephthalate, and nylon) in ex-situ incubation experiments. Plastic films, both UV-pretreated and untreated, were exposed to seawater from a coastal and an offshore location in the North Sea. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was employed to assess microbial community structures after 5, 10, 30, and 45 days of incubation. Our findings show the significant influence of time, seawater origin and plastic type on microbial community succession. We also identified several genera associated with hydrocarbon or plastic degradation potential as well as genera selecting for specific plastics such as Ketobacter and Microbacterium. Our results highlight potential role of microorganisms in plastic biodegradation and support the idea that microbial colonizers on marine plastics debris seemingly select distinct substrate types.
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Incubation of virgin microplastics across oceanic transects showed early colonization was reproducibly dominated by Alteromonadaceae with enriched genes for adhesion, biofilm formation, and hydrocarbon degradation, while mature plastic biofilms shifted to Rhodobacteraceae with genes for carbohydrate hydrolysis and photosynthesis.
Differentiation of bacterial communities on five common plastics after six days of exposure to Caribbean coastal waters
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Researchers found that within just six days of entering Caribbean coastal waters, different plastic polymers — including polystyrene, polyethylene, and nylon — develop distinct microbial communities on their surfaces, with plastic-degrading bacteria rapidly increasing in abundance. This "plastisphere" research shows that the type of plastic influences which microbes colonize it, which could affect both plastic breakdown rates and the spread of microbes in ocean environments.
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A year-long experiment tracked microbial biofilm succession on polypropylene and polyethylene debris floating in Hawaiian seawater, finding that plastic type was more important than shape for bacterial community structure. All plastics were dominated by the diatom Nitzschia, and polyethylene plastics showed higher differential abundance of the known plastic-degrading bacterium Hyphomonas compared to polypropylene.
Plastic Type and Condition Have Minimal Impact on Associated Marine Biofilm Communities
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Researchers submerged five common plastic types in Auckland Harbour for 12 months and found that plastic type and UV-ageing had minimal effect on biofilm community composition or function, with biofilm age being the dominant driver — though nylon did selectively enrich hydrolase genes potentially involved in its own degradation.
Microbial Colonisation of Polyethylene in Offshore Marine Environments: Insights from the Southern and South Atlantic Oceans
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Using ribosomal amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics, this study characterized microbial colonization on polyethylene films deployed across two oceanographic transects in the Southern Ocean and South Atlantic over 14 days. Community structure was primarily driven by geographic location and environmental conditions rather than plastic material type, with dominant taxa including hydrocarbon-degrading Pseudomonadota and phototrophic Cyanobacteria.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.