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Plastisphere on microplastics: In situ assays in an estuarine environment
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This study examined how microbial biofilm communities (the plastisphere) form on polystyrene and nylon microplastics placed in a polluted estuary over 129 days. Researchers found that the plastisphere influenced metal accumulation and weathering of the microplastic surfaces, with different plastic types supporting distinct microbial communities.
In this study, the influence of the plastisphere on metals accumulation and weathering processes of polystyrene (PSMPs) and nylon microplastics (NyMPs) in polluted waters during a 129 day-assay were studied. MPs were characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transformed infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, contact angle, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Also Cr, Mn, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cu in the plastisphere on MPs were analyzed during the assay. Potentially pathogenic Vibrio, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas spp. were abundant in both MPs. Ascomycota fungi (Phona s.l., Alternaria sp., Penicillium sp., and Cladosporium sp.), and yeast, were also identified. NyMPs and PSMPs exhibited a decrease in the contact angle and increased their weights. SEM/EDX showed weathering signs, like surface cracks and pits, and leaching TiO pigments from NyMPs after 42 days. XRD displayed a notorious decrease in NyMPs crystallinity, which could alter its interaction with external contaminants. Heavy metal accumulation on the plastisphere formed on each type of MPs increased over the exposure time. After 129 days of immersion, metals concentrations in the plastisphere on MPs were in the following order Cr ˃ Mn ˃ Zn ˃ Cu ˃ Pb ˃ Cd, demonstrating how the biofilm facilitates metal mobilization. The results of this study lead to a better understanding of the impact of marine plastic debris as vectors of pathogens and heavy metals in coastal environments.
More Papers Like This
An In Situ Study to Understand Community Structure of Estuarine Microbes on the Plastisphere
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Researchers performed 16S rRNA sequencing on biofilms from three microplastic polymer types and glass bead controls deployed in Baltimore Inner Harbor over 28 days, finding that plastisphere communities were taxonomically distinct from free-living microbial communities but that polymer type did not significantly differentiate community composition, with Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, and sulfate-reducing bacteria among the notable colonizers.
Differentiation of bacterial communities on five common plastics after six days of exposure to Caribbean coastal waters
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Researchers found that within just six days of entering Caribbean coastal waters, different plastic polymers — including polystyrene, polyethylene, and nylon — develop distinct microbial communities on their surfaces, with plastic-degrading bacteria rapidly increasing in abundance. This "plastisphere" research shows that the type of plastic influences which microbes colonize it, which could affect both plastic breakdown rates and the spread of microbes in ocean environments.
The structure and assembly mechanisms of plastisphere microbial community in natural marine environment
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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.
Diversity and succession of microbial communities on typical microplastics in Xincun Bay, a long-term mariculture tropical lagoon
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Researchers tracked microbial community succession on polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene microplastics over 60 days in a tropical mariculture lagoon, finding that plastisphere bacterial diversity exceeded that of surrounding seawater and that community structure shifted significantly over time.
Plastisphere community assemblage of aquatic environment: plastic-microbe interaction, role in degradation and characterization technologies
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This review examines the plastisphere—microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces in aquatic environments—covering how these biofilms form, their role in plastic biodegradation, and current characterization technologies for studying plastic-microbe interactions.
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