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Biofilms on microplastics across ecological systems: Formation mechanisms, community composition, environmental impacts, and ecotoxicity
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Tiny plastic particles floating in water, soil, and air quickly get coated with layers of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes, kind of like plaque on teeth, forming what scientists call a "plastisphere." This review pulls together existing research showing these microbial coatings can make microplastics more dangerous by helping them carry disease-causing germs, antibiotic-resistant genes, and toxic chemicals like heavy metals and PFAS ("forever chemicals") into our food and water. The takeaway: microplastics aren't just plastic, they're rafts for harmful microbes and pollutants, which means understan
Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as pervasive environmental contaminants in aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric ecosystems. Once released into the environment, MPs are rapidly colonized by microorganisms, leading to the formation of complex biofilm communities collectively termed the "plastisphere." These biofilms significantly alter the physicochemical properties, transport behavior, ecological interactions, and toxicity of microplastics. This review synthesizes recent findings on the mechanisms of biofilm formation on microplastics, including the roles of polymer type, surface aging, eco-corona formation, and environmental factors such as salinity, temperature, nutrient availability, and hydrodynamics. The composition and ecological functions of plastisphere communities, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, and protists, are discussed with emphasis on extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), quorum sensing, metabolic interactions, and horizontal gene transfer. The review further evaluates the role of biofilm-coated microplastics as vectors for pollutants, antibiotic resistance genes, and pathogenic microorganisms across marine, freshwater, wastewater, soil, and agricultural systems. In addition, the interactions between microplastics and co-contaminants such as heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, and organic pollutants are examined in the context of ecotoxicological risks. Current methodological approaches, environmental implications, and regulatory challenges are also addressed. Overall, this review emphasizes the importance of adopting a biofilm-centered perspective for understanding the environmental fate and ecological impacts of microplastics, delves deeper into microplastic-associated biofilms across diverse ecosystems, including marine and freshwater environments, wastewater and urban water systems, and soils and agricultural lands, while only briefly considering less-studied compartments such as the atmosphere, integrating pathogen-specific food safety evidence, nanoplastic-EPS interactions, AMR/HGT mechanisms, and co-contaminant-derived risks, identifying the impacts of microplastics/biofilms themselves or the pathogens they carry on human health, and identifies critical knowledge gaps that require future investigation.
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Biofilm formation and its implications on the properties and fate of microplastics in aquatic environments: A review
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics in water attract and support communities of bacteria and other microorganisms that form biofilms — living coatings that alter the plastic particles' movement, help them carry pathogens, and affect how toxic chemicals attached to the plastic are absorbed by living things. Understanding this "plastisphere" ecosystem is critical for predicting where microplastics go and how harmful they become.
The Importance of Biofilms to the Fate and Effects of Microplastics
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This review examines how biofilms — communities of microorganisms that form on microplastic surfaces — affect the fate and ecological effects of plastic pollution. Biofilm formation alters how microplastics are transported, ingested, and degraded in the environment, and the plastisphere can harbor pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may pose risks to human health.
Microbial Colonization and Biofilm Formation on Microplastics
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Tiny plastic particles floating in water and soil aren't just pollution—they're also becoming homes for bacteria, forming a slimy coating called a "biofilm." Scientists found these plastic-dwelling microbial communities can include harmful germs and can soak up toxic heavy metals and chemicals, potentially turning microplastics into tiny rafts that carry pollutants and disease-causing bacteria through the environment. This matters because as microplastics keep spreading, they may be helping spread harmful microbes and toxins too—something researchers say needs more study to understand the risks to human health.
Microplastic surface biofilms: a review of structural assembly, influencing factors, and ecotoxicity
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This review explores how microbial biofilms form on microplastic surfaces in natural environments, creating tiny ecosystems known as the plastisphere. Researchers found that these biofilms change the physical and chemical properties of microplastics and can significantly alter their toxicity to living organisms. The study emphasizes that most toxicity research still uses pristine microplastics, which may not accurately reflect the real-world risks posed by biofilm-coated particles.
Microplastic-Associated Biofilms and Their Role in the Fate of Microplastics in Aquatic Environment
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This review examines how microbial biofilms attached to microplastics in aquatic environments mediate the accumulation and transfer of chemical pollutants, exploring how the 'plastisphere' community influences the fate and ecotoxicological impact of microplastics and co-contaminants.
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