We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Plastic-inhabiting fungi in marine environments and PCL degradation activity
Summary
Researchers collected fungi growing on plastic waste along Korean coastlines and tested their ability to break down a biodegradable plastic called polycaprolactone (PCL), finding that 87 out of 108 species identified showed some degradation ability. This suggests that ocean plastic surfaces host a diverse community of fungi that could potentially be harnessed to biologically break down plastic pollution in marine environments.
Plastic waste has a negative impact on marine ecosystems and the quantity of this source of anthropogenic pollution continues to increase. Several studies have investigated plastic biodegradation using various microorganisms. In this study, we isolated fungi from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste on Korean seacoasts and evaluated their ability to degrade plastic by comparing the diameters of the clear zones they formed on polycaprolactone (PCL) agar. We isolated 262 strains from 47 plastic waste sources and identified 108 fungal species via molecular methods. The PCL agar assay revealed that 87 species presented with varying degrees of PCL degradation capacity. Among them, certain fungal species were strong PCL degraders. The present study demonstrated the possibility that some fungi inhabiting plastic could potentially degrade it in the marine environment. We believe that the discoveries made herein lay theoretical and practical foundations for the development of novel bioremediation systems for marine plastispheres and help mitigate the environmental pollution issues related to plastic wastes.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
The Role of Marine Fungi in Degradation of Microplastic and Plastics – a Review
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.
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.
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.
Dynamics and functions of microbial communities in the plastisphere in temperate coastal environments
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.
Distinct Bacterial and Fungal Communities Colonizing Waste Plastic Films Buried for More Than 20 Years in Four Landfill Sites in Korea
Researchers analyzed bacterial and fungal microbial communities colonizing waste plastic films buried for over 20 years at four landfill sites in Korea, finding distinct community compositions across sites and identifying microorganisms with potential for long-term plastic biodegradation.