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Microbial plastic degradation in the sea: the search for the improbable
Original title: Mikrobieller Plastikabbau im Meer: die Suche nach dem Unwahrscheinlichen
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This German-language review concludes that microbial degradation of plastic in the ocean is extremely limited and unlikely to significantly reduce marine microplastic pollution. The authors argue that the very low bioavailability of plastics to microbes and lack of evolutionary pressure makes rapid microbial adaptation to plastic degradation improbable.
Abstract Microplastic particles have been found in all the world’s oceans. Since their surfaces are microbially colonised, research is currently determining whether microbes are able to degrade the synthetic polymers. We show that their contribution to the biodegradation of plastics seems to be extremely limited. Also, it is unlikely that microbes specialise in plastic degradation through evolutionary adaptation. This is not only due to the great diversity and simultaneous very low bioavailability of microplastics in the oceans, but also because it is energetically disadvantageous.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.