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A comprehensive pan-European exploration of fungal plastisphere dynamics along river-to-sea continuums.
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Scientists studied how fungi hitch a ride on microplastic pollution as it travels from European rivers into the ocean, finding that plastic debris hosts its own distinct fungal communities different from those in surrounding water. The good news: potentially harmful fungi found on river plastics didn't appear to make the journey out to sea, suggesting the ocean environment naturally limits their spread. This matters because it shows microplastics aren't just passive pollutants—they can transport living organisms across ecosystems, though this particular study suggests that risk may be more contained than feared.
Microplastics (MPs) provide persistent substrates facilitating microbial transport across ecosystems. Since most marine plastic debris originates from land and are transported through rivers, a key concern is the dispersal of freshwater fungi into marine environments. Here, we characterized fungal communities colonizing MPs and immersed pristine microplastics (pMPs), as well as those in the surrounding waters, along the river-to-sea continuum in nine major European rivers during the Tara Microplastics expedition. DNA metabarcoding of the V9 region of the 18S rRNA gene showed fungi representing 4.6% of the total sequence reads and 6.2% of total richness among microeukaryotes, ranking in the top five microeukaryotic groups. Distinct fungal communities on MPs and pMPs compared to surrounding waters highlight clear differentiation between plastic-associated and ambient fungi in both marine and freshwater systems. Artificially immersed pMPs (1 month) resembled ambient water communities more than floating MPs. The latter exhibited high variability in fungal composition, suggesting complex and heterogeneous colonization patterns along the river-to-sea continuum. We also revealed a clear gradient in fungal community structure from freshwater to marine environments, with strong but incomplete segregation of plastisphere composition. Putative pathogenic fungi appeared enriched on MPs exclusively in freshwater, supporting limited transfer of these taxa toward marine-influenced environments.
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Microbial hitchhikers on microplastics: The exchange of aquatic microbes across distinct aquatic habitats
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This study investigated how microorganisms hitchhike on microplastics as they move between river and ocean environments, finding that plastic surfaces were colonized by pollutant-degrading bacteria and plastic-degrading fungi. The mere presence of microplastics in seawater increased the abundance of planktonic fungi from 2% to 25%, showing that microplastics significantly alter microbial communities. This matters for human health because microplastics can transport potentially harmful microorganisms across different water environments, including those used for drinking water and aquaculture.
A Pan-European study of the bacterial plastisphere diversity along river-to-sea continuums
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Researchers conducted a large-scale study of bacterial communities living on microplastic surfaces along river-to-sea pathways in nine major European rivers during the Tara Microplastics mission. They found that microplastics can transport freshwater bacteria into marine environments, representing a potential dispersal mechanism for microorganisms across ecosystems. The study highlights that the plastisphere community composition shifts along the river-sea continuum.
Aquatic Plastisphereas a Reservoir for Pathogenicand Antifungal-Resistant Fungi
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Scientists found that plastic debris floating in urban waterways is coated with a slimy microbial film that harbors disease-causing fungi—including some already flagged by the WHO as high-risk—many of which showed resistance to common antifungal drugs. This matters because it suggests plastic pollution isn't just an environmental problem; it may also be helping drug-resistant fungal infections spread and hitch rides through our water systems, making them harder to treat if they reach people.
Aquatic Plastisphere as a Reservoir for Pathogenic and Antifungal-Resistant Fungi
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Scientists found that plastic waste floating in urban waterways is covered in harmful fungi—including several types the World Health Organization flags as top health threats—and many of these fungi are already resistant to antifungal drugs. Lab tests confirmed these drug-resistant fungi are alive and thriving on plastic surfaces more than in the surrounding water, suggesting plastic pollution may help spread hard-to-treat fungal infections. This matters because it points to plastic waste as an overlooked way that dangerous, drug-resistant germs travel through our environment and potentially reach people.
The ecology of the plastisphere: Microbial composition, function, assembly, and network in the freshwater and seawater ecosystems
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Researchers studied the communities of bacteria and fungi that colonize microplastic surfaces in freshwater and seawater, forming what scientists call the plastisphere. These microplastic-associated communities were distinctly different from those in surrounding water, and included a higher proportion of disease-causing organisms and species involved in pollutant degradation. The findings suggest that microplastics create new habitats that can harbor pathogens and alter natural microbial ecosystems in ways that may affect water quality and human health.
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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.