We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microbial Community Characteristics of Sediment Environment and Plastisphere in a Typical Highly Urbanized River Basin
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied river sediment and microplastics in an urban river basin in China, comparing microbial communities living on plastic surfaces to those in surrounding sediment. Microplastics were found in all samples tested, mostly fragments and fibers made of PET. Microbial communities on plastics differed somewhat from sediment communities and were linked to sediment chemistry and microplastic type.
Microplastics (MPs) provide surfaces for microbial colonization, yet field-based comparisons between plastisphere and surrounding sediment communities in urban rivers remain limited. We investigated sediments from a typical highly urbanized river basin—the Qinhuai River Basin, China—during normal flow (March 2025) and high flow (June 2025). We characterized MP abundance and particle features and compared bacterial and fungal communities in sediment and plastisphere samples using 16S rRNA V4 and ITS1 amplicon sequencing. MPs were detected in all valid samples, yielding 316 particles. Mean abundances were 178.35 ± 97.73 and 158.47 ± 143.18 particles kg-1 dry weight during normal and high flow, respectively; fragments and fibers dominated, and PET was the most frequent polymer among μ-FTIR-analyzed particles. Sediment communities had higher richness and diversity than plastisphere communities for both bacteria and fungi. Community composition differed between habitats (PERMANOVA: bacterial R2 = 0.06888, p = 0.001; fungal R2 = 0.04495, p = 0.002), although the proportion of variation explained by habitat was relatively small. Pseudomonadota and Ascomycota were relatively enriched in the plastisphere. CCA indicated that bacterial variation was associated with TN, NH3-N, water content, and SOC, whereas fungal variation was associated with NH3-N, water content, and TN. Mantel tests linked sediment bacterial community dissimilarity to between-sample differences in PET and PE variables, and fungal community dissimilarity to differences in PVC. These findings indicate modest habitat-associated differences in community composition, alongside associations with sediment properties and microplastic characteristics.
More Papers Like This
Microplastic is an Abundant and Distinct Microbial Habitat in an Urban River
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers demonstrated that microplastic surfaces in an urban river host a microbial community that is distinct from surrounding water and sediment communities, establishing microplastic as an abundant and ecologically distinct habitat for river microorganisms.
Microplastics pollution alters bacterial community in hyporheic sediments: A case study from the Beiluo River Basin
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers surveyed microplastics in hyporheic zone sediments (the biologically active layer beneath riverbeds) of China's Beiluo River and found that PET fragments smaller than 30 µm dominated, with polymer type and particle size driving distinct shifts in bacterial community composition and suppressing overall microbial diversity.
Uniqueness and Dependence of Bacterial Communities on Microplastics: Comparison with Water, Sediment, and Soil
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers compared bacterial communities on microplastics with those in water, sediment, and soil in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, finding that microplastic-associated communities are unique in composition and ecological function compared to surrounding environments.
Diversity and structure of microbial biofilms on microplastics in riverine waters of the Pearl River Delta, China
AI summary Read the abstract
Microbial biofilm communities on microplastics in Pearl River Delta waterways showed distinct composition and diversity compared to surrounding water and natural surfaces, with river environmental conditions more influential than plastic polymer type in shaping biofilm structure.
Bacterial community structure of water, sediment and microplastics in Poyang Lake wetland.
AI summary Read the abstract
This study compared the bacterial communities living on four types of microplastics (film, foam, fiber, and fragment) in Poyang Lake wetland in China against the bacterial communities in the surrounding water and sediment. The microplastic surfaces hosted distinct microbial communities that differed from both the water and sediment, with foam microplastics supporting the least diverse communities. This "plastisphere" research is important because the unique bacteria colonizing plastic surfaces could spread pathogens or alter nutrient cycles in freshwater wetland ecosystems.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.