We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Effects of long-term exposure to silver nanoparticles on the structure and function of microplastic biofilms in eutrophic water
AI summary Read the abstract
Long-term exposure to silver nanoparticles altered the structure and function of microbial biofilms on microplastics in eutrophic water, with nanoparticles suppressing biofilm biomass, changing community composition, and reducing metabolic activity, raising concerns about combined pollutant effects in urban aquatic systems.
Microplastics are frequently detected in natural aquatic systems proximate to populated areas, such as urban rivers and lakes, and can be rapidly colonized by microbial communities. Microplastics and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) share similar pathways into natural waters and tend to form heteroaggregations. However, very little is known about the long-term impacts on the structure and function of microplastic biofilms when chronically exposed to silver nanoparticles. Thus, the present study assessed the accumulation property of AgNPs on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microplastics via adsorption tests and studied the chronic effects of AgNPs on the structure and function of microplastic biofilms via 30-day microcosmic experiments in eutrophic water. The adsorption tests showed that the biofilms-colonized PMMA microplastics presented the highest adsorption of 0.98 mg/g in the 1 mg/L AgNPs microcosms. After the 30-day exposure, lactic dehydrogenase release and reactive oxygen species generation of PMMA biofilms increased by 33.23% and 23.98% compared to the MPs-control group with no-AgNPs, indicating that the number of dead cells colonizing microplastics significantly increased. Network analysis suggested that the stabilization of the bacterial community declined with the long-term exposure to AgNPs through the reduction of the modularity and average path length of the network. Compared to the MPs-control group, long-term exposure to AgNPs caused cumulatively inhibitory effects on the nitrogen removal and the NO emissions in eutrophic water. The isotopomer analysis revealed that the contribution rate of NO reduction to NO emissions was gradually increasing with the AgNPs exposure. Real-time PCR analysis showed that denitrification genes were less sensitive to AgNPs than the nitrification genes, with gene nosZ performed the most negligible response. Overall, our results revealed that long-term exposure to AgNPs could alter biogeochemical cycling involved by microplastic biofilms and cumulatively reduce the self-recovery of the eutrophic ecosystem.
More Papers Like This
Co-effects of silver nanoparticles and microplastics on nitrifying microorganisms from wastewater treatment plants and their activities
AI summary Read the abstract
This study investigated how silver nanoparticles and microplastics — two emerging contaminants — together affect the bacteria responsible for removing ammonia in wastewater treatment. High concentrations of silver nanoparticles inhibited ammonia oxidation, and the combination with microplastics altered bacterial community composition, raising concerns about wastewater treatment performance.
Insights into the interaction of microplastic with silver nanoparticles in natural surface water
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers co-exposed three common microplastics — polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene — with silver nanoparticles in natural freshwater and brackish water, finding that their interaction altered the environmental behavior and fate of both contaminants. The results suggest that combined pollution from microplastics and nanomaterials produces effects distinct from either pollutant alone.
Can microplastics from personal care products affect stream microbial decomposers in the presence of silver nanoparticles?
AI summary Read the abstract
This study exposed freshwater fungal decomposers to microplastics from personal care products and silver nanoparticles, individually and in combination, finding that both pollutants reduced microbial activity and that combined exposure often produced additive or synergistic inhibition. The results highlight the risk to stream-based decomposition processes from personal care product-derived pollutants.
Individual and combined effects of silver nanoparticles and polyvinyl chloride microplastics on the activity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms from a wastewater treatment system
AI summary Read the abstract
Silver nanoparticles (used in some antibacterial products) can shut down helpful bacteria in wastewater treatment plants that normally break down ammonia into less harmful substances, and this damage gets worse at higher concentrations. Interestingly, microplastics alone didn't cause harm, but when microplastics had already settled in the water, they actually softened the silver nanoparticles' toxic effects, showing that pollutants can interact in unexpected ways. This matters because if wastewater treatment doesn't work properly, ammonia and other pollutants could end up back in our water supply.
Microplastics and silver nanoparticles compromise detrital food chains in streams through effects on microbial decomposers and invertebrate detritivores
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers tested how microplastics and silver nanoparticles, both common pollutants from personal care products, affect stream food webs built around decomposing leaf litter. They found that both pollutants, alone and in combination, reduced fungal decomposition and harmed invertebrate feeding and growth, disrupting the base of the food chain. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of these contaminants in freshwater could impair nutrient cycling in stream ecosystems.
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.