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Food or just a free ride? A meta-analysis reveals the global diversity of the Plastisphere
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This meta-analysis is the first large-scale study of the "Plastisphere" — the community of bacteria and other microbes that colonize plastic debris in the environment. By analyzing over 2,200 samples from 35 studies, the researchers mapped what organisms grow on plastics in oceans, rivers, and other environments. Understanding how microbes interact with microplastics matters because these biofilms may affect how plastic particles behave when they enter our bodies.
It is now indisputable that plastics are ubiquitous and problematic in ecosystems globally. Many suggestions have been made about the role that biofilms colonizing plastics in the environment-termed the "Plastisphere"-may play in the transportation and ecological impact of these plastics. By collecting and re-analyzing all raw 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metadata from 2,229 samples within 35 studies, we have performed the first meta-analysis of the Plastisphere in marine, freshwater, other aquatic (e.g., brackish or aquaculture) and terrestrial environments. We show that random forest models can be trained to differentiate between groupings of environmental factors as well as aspects of study design, but-crucially-also between plastics when compared with control biofilms and between different plastic types and community successional stages. Our meta-analysis confirms that potentially biodegrading Plastisphere members, the hydrocarbonoclastic Oceanospirillales and Alteromonadales are consistently more abundant in plastic than control biofilm samples across multiple studies and environments. This indicates the predilection of these organisms for plastics and confirms the urgent need for their ability to biodegrade plastics to be comprehensively tested. We also identified key knowledge gaps that should be addressed by future studies.
More Papers Like This
Plastisphere microbiome: Methodology, diversity, and functionality
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This review explores the plastisphere, the community of microorganisms that colonize plastic debris in the environment. The authors cover methods for studying these microbial communities, the diversity of organisms found living on plastics, and their functional roles including potential plastic degradation and pathogen harboring. Understanding the plastisphere is important because these microbial communities can influence how plastics break down and what health risks plastic pollution may pose.
Surfing and dining on the “plastisphere”: Microbial life on plastic marine debris
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This review examines the microbial communities — the "plastisphere" — that colonize floating plastic debris in the ocean, discussing how these biofilms form, who lives in them, and what risks they may pose to marine ecosystems and human health. The unique chemistry and buoyancy of plastic creates a novel habitat that can transport potentially harmful microbes across ocean basins.
Ecology of the plastisphere
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This review explores the plastisphere, the diverse microbial community that colonizes plastic debris in the ocean, which now spans multiple biomes on Earth. Researchers examine how microplastics serve as novel substrates for microbial colonization and may facilitate the dispersal of microorganisms, including potentially harmful species, across aquatic ecosystems. The study highlights key questions about whether plastics harbor a unique core microbial community distinct from natural surfaces.
Marine Plastic Debris: A New Surface for Microbial Colonization
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This review examines the "Plastisphere" -- the community of microbes that rapidly colonizes plastic debris in the ocean -- covering biofilm development, potential biodegradation, and the hitchhiking of harmful bacteria. Researchers found that microbial communities on plastics do not dramatically differ from those on other inert surfaces, especially in mature biofilms. The study identifies key knowledge gaps and calls for more environmentally realistic research into how these plastic-associated microbes interact with marine ecosystems.
Marine Plastisphere
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Plastic waste in the ocean isn't just floating debris — it's covered in living microbial communities, sometimes called the "plastisphere," that can include harmful bacteria and can carry pollutants through the marine food chain. This review pulls together current research on how these microbes grow on plastic and interact with ocean chemicals, highlighting concerns that this could help spread disease-causing germs and contaminants to seafood and, ultimately, to people. The authors note that scientists still don't fully understand how these microbial hitchhikers form or exactly how risky they are, so more research is needed before we can accurately assess the health risks.
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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.