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Bacterial biofilms on microplastics in the Baltic Sea
Summary
This study characterized bacterial biofilms forming on microplastics in Baltic Sea waters, identifying the microbial communities that colonize plastic surfaces and examining how the plastisphere differs from surrounding seawater microbiomes. The plastisphere can harbor distinct microbial communities, including potential pathogens, and may facilitate transport of harmful microbes through the ocean.
Microplastics (MP) provide a new habitat for biofilm-forming bacteria in aquatic systems. It was investigated if MP could become a vector for atypical bacterial assemblages, including potential pathogens. The MP-biofilms differed from those on seston and free-living bacterial assemblages, but less from those on control surfaces. Vibrio abundances were higher on MP than in the water, but highest on wood. MP are thus a distinct habitat for biofilm bacteria; however, their vector potential depends on the spatial, temporal, and environmental dynamics of the system.