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Non-destructive microplastic isolation from water and sediment samples v1
Summary
This protocol describes a non-destructive method for isolating microplastics from water and sediment samples that preserves the associated microbial biofilm, enabling both culture-based and sequencing-based analysis of plastisphere communities.
Microplastics in aquatic ecosystems serve as unique habitats for diverse microbial communities, collectively referred to as the plastisphere. Investigating these microbes using both culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques (e.g., 16S rRNA gene sequencing, metagenomics) requires a method that preserves the integrity of the plastic and associated microbiota. This protocol outlines a non-destructive isolation technique for microplastics from water and sediment samples using Nile Red dye, thus allowing for a comprehensive study of the microplastic microbiome and its functional potential without compromising the plastic matrix or the microbial communities it harbors.