We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Metabolomic analysis of plastisphere microbial communities in the river-sea continuum
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers performed the first non-targeted metabolomic analysis of plastisphere microbial communities across the river-sea continuum, immersing polyethylene pellets for one month at five sites during the Tara Microplastics expedition to characterize the metabolic activities of microorganisms colonizing plastic waste surfaces.
Studies of the microorganisms that live on plastic waste (the plastisphere) have revealed an original ecosystem that is arousing growing interest in the context of plastic pollution. This study presents the first non-targeted metabolomic analysis of the plastisphere, in order to better characterize the metabolic activities of the microorganisms that thrive there. This work was carried out as part of the Tara Microplastics expedition, where polyethylene pellets were immersed for a month in five sampling stations along the river-sea continuum of nine of Europe's major rivers. Liquid chromatography techniques coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry were used to analyze the metabolic extracts of the microbial biofilms. The results revealed a clear distinction between freshwater and seawater plastisphere metabolomes. For the Loire, Rhône, Seine and Thames, the intensities of a large number of variables correlated with the salinity gradient. Metabolomes appear similar in the Rhine and Rhone, while differing from the Tiber and Loire, which showed greater similarity with the Thames and Seine. Putative annotations of 189 discriminating metabolites suggest that lipid metabolism was significantly modulated. These results confirm the significant influence of environmental factors on the diversity and functions of microorganisms living on plastic debris. This work shows that the metabolomics approach is a promising tool for refining our understanding of the functioning of the complex plastisphere ecosystem. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/558620/document
More Papers Like This
Metabolomic analysis of plastisphere microbial communities in the river-sea continuum
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted the first non-targeted metabolomic analysis of plastisphere microbial communities along river-to-sea continua, immersing polyethylene pellets for one month at five stations across nine major European rivers as part of the Tara Microplastics expedition. Results revealed a clear metabolic distinction between freshwater and seawater plastisphere communities, with metabolome composition correlating with salinity gradients in several rivers.
Untargeted metabolomic insights into plastisphere communities in European rivers
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used untargeted metabolomics to characterize plastisphere microbial communities colonizing polyethylene-based plastic pellets in European rivers, simulating microplastic transport between freshwater and marine ecosystems to understand how the plastisphere microbiome and its metabolic outputs shift across environmental transitions.
A multi-OMIC characterisation of biodegradation and microbial community succession within the PET plastisphere
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers performed a multi-omic analysis of bacterial communities colonizing PET plastic in marine environments, identifying microorganisms capable of degrading PET and characterizing the enzymatic pathways involved, advancing understanding of natural plastic biodegradation in ocean systems.
A Pan-European study of the bacterial plastisphere diversity along river-to-sea continuums
AI summary Read the abstract
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.
Novel functional insights into the microbiome inhabiting marine plastic debris: critical considerations to counteract the challenges of thin biofilms using multi-omics and comparative metaproteomics.
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a comprehensive metaproteomics approach to study the microbial communities living on the surface of marine plastic debris, known as the plastisphere. The study reveals how microbes on plastic interact with each other and their environment, with implications for understanding how plastic-colonizing bacteria spread through the ocean.
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.