We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastic contamination and microbial colonization in coastal area of Busan City, Korea
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated microplastic concentrations, characteristics, and associated microbial communities across six coastal sites in Busan, South Korea, finding average concentrations of 94 particles/m3 dominated by PE, PP, and PS polymers, and using 16S rRNA sequencing to demonstrate that MP-associated bacterial communities were distinct from surrounding seawater, enriched in Psychrobacter, Pseudomonas, and Flavobacterium.
This study investigated the potential role of the concentration, shape, size, and polymer type of microplastics (MP), in addition to the microbial community in six coastal areas of Busan city, South Korea. The results showed that the average MP concentration was 94 ± 41 particles·m -3 , and particles sized 20 μm –300 μm accounted for 67.5 ± 9.6% of the total MP abundance throughout the study sites. Further, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) polymers were abundant among the collected fragment- and fiber-shaped MPs, implying that highly populated and industrialized areas are major sources of MPs contamination. Moreover, the bacterial diversity and taxa-based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing was significantly different between MPs and seawater (SW) samples. Specifically, Psychrobacter, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium , and Winogradskyella were significantly enriched in MPs compared with SW (p <0.05). Redundancy analysis revealed that nutrient concentrations, salinity, and temperature potentially contributed to shaping the microbial communities on MPs. These results indicate the dynamic and complicated interactions of MP contamination with the physiochemical and environmental factors of the surrounding area. Our findings would help in understanding of MP contamination levels in marine environments and their characteristics, as well as bacterial colonization on plastics in urban coastal areas of Busan, South Korea.
More Papers Like This
Distinct Bacterial Populations Colonizing Plastic Debris in Coastal Waters of Southern California
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers characterized distinct bacterial communities colonizing plastic debris in coastal waters of Southern California through 16S rRNA sequencing. The study examined early-stage colonization of plastic surfaces, finding plastic-associated communities differed from surrounding seawater bacteria.
Dynamics and functions of microbial communities in the plastisphere in temperate coastal environments
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers explored microbial communities colonizing microplastics in coastal environments of Japan, comparing bacterial and fungal communities across different plastic types, water, sediment, and sand. The study found that while microbial communities varied by sample type and location rather than plastic shape, microplastics harbored hydrocarbon-degrading organisms as well as potential pathogens, highlighting the ecological significance of plastic-associated biofilms.
Microbial Communities on Plastic Polymers in the Mediterranean Sea
AI summary Read the abstract
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.
A close relationship between microplastic contamination and coastal area use pattern
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated microplastic contamination across three coastal areas in Korea characterized by different human activities: urban, aquafarm, and rural. They found that microplastic abundance and polymer composition varied by area, with diverse polymers at urban sites, polystyrene dominant near aquaculture operations, and polypropylene prevalent at rural fishing sites. The study demonstrates a close relationship between coastal land use patterns and the characteristics of microplastic pollution in both abiotic and biotic samples.
Associations between bacterial communities and microplastics from surface seawater of the Northern Patagonian area of Chile
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers characterized bacterial communities on microplastics collected from three coastal sites with varying aquaculture activity in Chilean Patagonia, identifying 3,102 OTUs dominated by Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria, with communities differing from surrounding seawater at all sites. Despite site-specific variation, 222 bacterial OTUs were shared across all three locations, suggesting a core plastisphere community that persists across different anthropogenic conditions.
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.