We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
The Role of Marine Fungi in Degradation of Microplastic and Plastics – a Review
Summary
This review examines the role of marine fungi in the biodegradation of microplastics and bulk plastics, synthesising literature on over 400 known plastic-degrading microorganism species and highlighting the most significant fungal groups capable of decomposing plastic materials in marine environments.
Plastic has become an essential and fundamental necessity worldwide. Currently, global plastic production exceeds 300 million tons per year. Plastics possess various attributes, such as cost-effectiveness, inertness, relatively low weight, and resistance to accumulating as waste in the environment. In the entirety of 2015, the world generated 6.3 billion tons of plastic waste, with 79% either disposed of in landfills or left in the natural environment. Furthermore, projections indicate that approximately 12 billion tons of plastic waste will accumulate on Earth by 2050. Consequently, there is a pressing need to develop an efficient plastic biodegradation process that can expedite the natural rate of plastic decomposition. Researchers have identified over 400 species of microorganisms capable of breaking down plastic. The existing literature provides a comprehensive list of previously documented plastic-degrading fungi and highlights the most significant fungal groups involved in this process. Moreover, a phylogenetic analysis of plastic-degrading fungi was conducted using a dataset that included ITS, LSU, SSU, TEF, RPB1, and RPB2 sequences from 395 strains. The findings confirm that plastic-degrading fungi span 11 fungal classes, including Ascomycetes (Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Leotiomycetes, Saccharomycetes, and Sordariomycetes), Basidiomycetes (Agaricomycetes, Microbotryomycetes, Trimellomycetes, and Sordariomycetes), and Mucoromycetes.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
The Potential Role of Marine Fungi in Plastic Degradation – A Review
This review examined the potential role of marine fungi in plastic degradation, highlighting that while terrestrial fungi can metabolize some plastic types, marine fungal-plastic interactions remain largely unexplored despite fungi's known ability to break down recalcitrant compounds.
Prospection of marine filamentous fungi in the biodegradation of microplastic
This Brazilian study examined whether marine filamentous fungi can biodegrade microplastics, exploring their enzyme systems and degradation mechanisms. Marine fungi represent an underexplored biological resource for breaking down the plastic pollution accumulating in ocean environments.
An overview on role of fungi in systematic plastic degradation
This review examines the role of fungi in plastic degradation, surveying fungal species and enzymes capable of breaking down common polymers and discussing their potential for sustainable bioremediation of plastic pollution in the environment.
The threat of microplastics and microbial degradation potential; a current perspective
This review covers the growing threat of microplastics in marine environments, where they enter the food chain and can transfer to humans along with pathogenic organisms, causing various toxic effects. The paper also explores how bacteria and fungi found in ocean environments could be harnessed to biodegrade different types of plastics as a future strategy for reducing microplastic pollution.
Planktonic marine fungi: A review
This review summarizes the ecology of planktonic marine fungi, which play important roles as decomposers and parasites in ocean ecosystems. Marine fungi also colonize microplastic particles as part of the plastisphere, where they may contribute to plastic degradation.