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Investigation of microplastic biofilm communities originated from freshwater

Journal of The Korean Society of Water and Wastewater 2022
Woodan Choi, Hien Thi Nguyen, Eun‐Ju Kim, Kyungjin Cho

Summary

Microplastic surfaces in freshwater develop biofilm communities structurally distinct from surrounding water, with specific bacterial taxa dominating depending on whether conditions are nutrient-rich or ambient, regardless of plastic polymer type. These unique MP-associated microbial communities matter because they can alter nutrient cycling, harbor potential pathogens, and serve as vehicles for spreading antimicrobial resistance through aquatic ecosystems.

Study Type Environmental

Recently microplastic (MP) biofilm is being attracted as an important environmental issue because it can act as a pollutant carrier in aqueous system. Therefore, this study investigated the MP biofilm communities originated from freshwater. The results showed the bacterial community structure of MP biofilm was distinctively different from the freshwater regardless of biofilm-forming condition and MP type. For MP biofilm communities exposed to raw freshwater, Solimonas variicoloris -like microbe, Frigidibacter albus -like microbe, Nitrospirillum amazonense -like microbe, and Pseudochroococcus couteii -like microbe became abundant, while Acinetobacter johnsonii , Macellibacteroides fermentans , and Sedimentibacter acidaminivorans -like microbe were found as major bacteria for MP biofilm communities exposed to organic rich condition. The results of this study suggest that the unique freshwater biofilm community could be formed on the MP surface.

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