We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of the microbial community on microplastic samples from the North Atlantic and Great Pacific Garbage Patches
Summary
Researchers compared microbial communities living on microplastics collected from the North Atlantic and Great Pacific Garbage Patches, finding distinct plastisphere communities shaped by ocean region and plastic type. Understanding which microbes thrive on ocean plastic helps assess the risk of harmful or antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreading on plastic debris.
The exponential increase in plastic production has led to their accumulation in the environment, particularly in oceans, polluting these environments from the shore to the open ocean and even sea ice in the pole regions. Microbial communities were compared on plastic particles, known as "Plastisphere", collected from the Atlantic and Pacific ocean gyres in the Summer of 2019 and subsequently inspected for potential plastic degraders. A 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing approach was applied to decipher differences and similarities in colonization behaviour between these two gyres. Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) plastic samples were retrieved and investigated. We found that microbes differed significantly between the two oceans and identified thirty-two differentially abundant taxa at the class level. Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidota were the most prominent relative abundant phyla in the two oceans. Finally, according to the current literature, we found 40 genera documented as potential plastic degraders. This study highlights the importance of the biogeographical location with respect to microbial colonization patterns of marine plastic debris, differing even in the open oceans. Furthermore, the wide distribution of potential plastic-degrading bacteria was shown. Key words: Plastisphere, microbial communities, plastic degraders.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Diversity and Activity of Communities Inhabiting Plastic Debris in the North Pacific Gyre
Researchers collected and characterized the microbial communities living on plastic debris from the North Pacific garbage patch in 2008, finding distinct communities of bacteria and metabolic functions on plastic compared to surrounding seawater. The study was among the first to comprehensively document the biological colonization of ocean plastic debris and the concept of a "plastisphere."
Analysis of 16S rRNA amplicon data illuminates the major role of environment in determining the marine plastisphere microbial communities
Researchers analysed 16S rRNA amplicon data from marine plastisphere communities, finding that environmental factors play the dominant role in determining the microbial communities that colonise microplastic surfaces in marine ecosystems.
Microbial Communities on Plastic Polymers in the Mediterranean Sea
Researchers collected floating microplastics from a bay in the Mediterranean and analyzed their bacterial biofilm communities using 16S rRNA sequencing, finding that microbial communities on plastics were distinct from surrounding seawater and differed between polymer types.
Analysis of 16S rRNA amplicon data illuminates the major role of environment in determining the marine plastisphere microbial communities
By reanalyzing publicly available microbiome data from marine microplastics collected at multiple ocean locations, this study found that the surrounding water environment shapes the community of microbes living on plastic surfaces (the plastisphere) more strongly than the type of plastic polymer does. While both location and polymer type matter, once environmental differences were accounted for, polymer type alone had no statistically significant effect on microbial diversity. This is important because microplastics can carry and transport harmful microbes across vast ocean distances, and understanding what controls those communities helps assess the ecological risk.
The structure and assembly mechanisms of plastisphere microbial community in natural marine environment
Researchers investigated how microbial communities colonize different types of microplastic surfaces in natural marine environments over an eight-week period. They found that the composition of these plastic-associated microbial communities, known as the plastisphere, was shaped more by environmental conditions and time than by the specific type of plastic. The study provides new understanding of the ecological processes governing how microorganisms assemble on ocean plastic debris.