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Diversity and distribution of potential polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene plastic-degrading bacteria communities in deep-sea cold-seep ecosystems
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Researchers tested bacteria from deep-sea cold-seep sites, places with natural methane and oil-like compounds, to see if they could break down common plastics (PET and PP). After months of lab growth using plastic as the only food source, certain bacterial groups increased in number and visible grooves appeared on the plastic surfaces, suggesting these microbes may help degrade plastic.
ABSTRACT Biodegradation represents a promising strategy for the remediation of marine plastic pollution. Notably, deep-sea cold-seep ecosystems nurture exceptionally abundant microbial hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial resources. Due to structural similarities between plastics and natural hydrocarbons in cold seeps, cold-seep microorganisms may possess potential enzymatic strategies suited to plastic breakdown. Therefore, this study combined 1 year in situ inoculation and 168 days of laboratory enrichment experiments to investigate the diversity and distribution characteristics of cold-seep bacteria that respond to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) degradation. Enriched communities were able to grow utilizing plastics as a sole carbon source, and distinct grooves and cracks were observed on plastic films following enrichment. During cultivation, taxa that appeared unable to utilize plastics declined in abundance, while putative plastic-degrading taxa became enriched. Amplicon sequence variant (ASV) abundance dynamics revealed 24 candidate PET-degrading and 22 candidate PP-degrading ASVs, which exhibited an expanded spectrum of plastic degradation capabilities compared with literature reports. Furthermore, these putative degraders were widespread in natural cold seeps, and nutrient-rich sites appeared more conducive to the enrichment of plastic degraders. This work broadens the understanding of the plastic-degrading potential of cold-seep ecosystems and identifies candidate taxa for further biochemical and biodegradation characterization. IMPORTANCE Plastic pollution is accumulating in the ocean, including the deep sea, where removal is extremely difficult, and natural breakdown is poorly understood. This study explores whether microorganisms from deep-sea cold-seep ecosystems can help degrade common plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene. Cold seeps naturally contain methane and petroleum-like hydrocarbons, so their microbes may already have biological tools for breaking down plastic-like compounds. By combining year-long deep-sea exposure with laboratory enrichment, this work identified bacterial groups that increased in abundance when plastics were the only available carbon source and observed visible damage on plastic surfaces. These findings suggest that cold seeps may act as natural reservoirs of previously overlooked plastic-degrading microbes. The study expands our understanding of how plastics may persist or break down in deep marine environments and provides candidate bacteria for future biodegradation research.
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Researchers studied how polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene microplastics affect microbial communities in cold seep sediments over a 120-day incubation period. The study found that microplastics significantly altered bacterial community structure in a type- and concentration-dependent manner, with some bacteria associated with plastic degradation increasing, while archaeal communities were less affected.
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Researchers explored how polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics affect microbial communities in cold seep ocean sediments over a 120-day experiment. While the plastics did not significantly change overall microbial diversity, they did alter the community structure and affected methane-related metabolic processes. The study suggests that plastic pollution could interfere with important deep-sea biogeochemical cycles, including those involved in methane regulation.
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Microplastics Affect Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane and Sedimentary Prokaryotic Communities in Cold Seep Areas
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Laboratory experiments exposing cold seep seafloor sediments to microplastics for 120 days showed that polyamide and PET microplastics reduced methane oxidation rates to roughly a third of normal and altered the bacterial communities responsible for this process. Cold seep sediments are major global sinks for methane, so microplastic disruption of this microbial activity could have implications for greenhouse gas cycling in deep ocean environments.
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