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Plastisphere microbiome: Methodology, diversity, and functionality

iMeta 2023 68 citations

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This review explores the plastisphere, the community of microorganisms that colonize plastic debris in the environment. The authors cover methods for studying these microbial communities, the diversity of organisms found living on plastics, and their functional roles including potential plastic degradation and pathogen harboring. Understanding the plastisphere is important because these microbial communities can influence how plastics break down and what health risks plastic pollution may pose.

Broad topics of the plastisphere in various environments are reviewed, including its methodologies, diversity, functionality, and outlook.

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