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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Plastic leachates promote marine protozoan growth
ClearDissolved organic carbon leaching from plastics stimulates microbial activity in the ocean
Researchers discovered that ocean plastics continuously leach dissolved organic carbon into seawater — an estimated 23,600 metric tons per year globally — fueling the growth of bacteria at the base of the marine food web. Because plastic pollution is projected to increase tenfold in the coming decade, this plastic-derived carbon input could significantly alter microbial communities and ocean chemistry in ways not yet fully understood.
Plastic leachates impair growth and oxygen production in Prochlorococcus, the ocean’s most abundant photosynthetic bacteria
Researchers found that chemicals leaching from common plastic items — high-density polyethylene bags and PVC matting — severely impaired growth and photosynthesis in Prochlorococcus, the ocean's most abundant photosynthetic bacteria and a critical driver of global oxygen production. This suggests plastic pollution in the ocean could disrupt the very base of the marine food web.
Plastic leachates impair picophytoplankton and dramatically reshape the marine microbiome
Researchers found that chemicals leaching out of plastic debris can severely disrupt marine microbial communities, damaging tiny photosynthetic organisms (picophytoplankton) and dramatically reshaping the ocean microbiome. These findings reveal that plastic pollution harms ocean life not just physically but through chemical contamination, with potential consequences for the entire marine food web.
Plastic pollution fosters more microbial growth in lakes than natural organic matter
Researchers discovered that chemicals leaching from plastic shopping bags are far more available as food for bacteria than natural organic matter found in lakes, causing bacterial populations to grow more than twice as large. This means plastic pollution doesn't just physically harm aquatic life — it chemically rewires freshwater food webs.
Microplastics drive community dynamics of periphytic protozoan fauna in marine environments
Researchers exposed marine protozoan communities to varying concentrations of microplastics and tracked how the communities changed over time. They found that higher microplastic concentrations reduced species diversity and shifted community composition toward more pollution-tolerant species. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can reshape the structure of microscopic marine communities, with potential cascading effects up the food web.
Investigating whether aquatic microbes are inhibited by dissolved organic carbon formed during the photo-dissolution of microplastics
Researchers investigated whether dissolved organic carbon produced when sunlight degrades floating microplastics inhibits aquatic microbial growth, finding that while much of the carbon can fuel microbial activity, some photochemically produced compounds may have inhibitory effects.
Do microplastics dramatically shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization in marine environments?
Researchers exposed protozoan assemblages to a gradient of microplastic concentrations in marine environments to investigate whether MPs shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization patterns. The results provide insights into how MP pollution alters microbial community structure and the energy transfer roles of protozoa across trophic levels in marine ecosystems.
Ocean acidification has a strong effect on communities living on plastic in mesocosms
A mesocosm experiment found that simulated ocean acidification significantly changed the microbial communities colonizing plastic debris (the "plastisphere"), increasing the relative abundance of pathogenic and parasite bacteria and altering nutrient cycling. This is concerning because ocean acidification driven by climate change could make plastic pollution even more dangerous by turning floating plastics into enhanced vectors for harmful microbes.
Dissolved organic carbon leaching from microplastics and bioavailability in coastal ecosystems
Researchers evaluated dissolved organic carbon leaching from polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics in coastal ecosystems, finding that up to 85% of the leached carbon was biodegradable by microbial communities. The study found that different coastal environments, such as seagrass beds and river mouths, showed varying abilities to utilize this plastic-derived carbon, suggesting microplastics may be an underappreciated source of dissolved organic carbon in marine systems.
Microbial carrying capacity and carbon biomass of plastic marine debris
Researchers estimated the microbial carrying capacity and carbon biomass of floating marine plastic debris, finding that the collective surface area of ocean plastic supports a substantial microbial community whose carbon biomass, while modest relative to total ocean microbial carbon, represents a novel and persistent ecological niche with potential biogeochemical significance.
Abiotic plastic leaching contributes to ocean acidification
This study presented evidence that abiotic leaching of dissolved organic carbon from plastics in the ocean contributes to ocean acidification by increasing carbon dioxide in seawater. The authors estimated that plastic leaching could be a measurable and growing driver of ocean acidification as plastic inputs to the ocean continue to increase.
Microplastics increase the marine production of particulate forms of organic matter
Researchers added polystyrene microbeads to oligotrophic seawater mesocosms and monitored organic matter and microbial dynamics over 12 days, finding that microplastics significantly increased the production of organic carbon and its aggregation into gel-like particles. The results suggest that microplastic-stimulated biofilm formation enhances particulate organic matter production with potential consequences for the marine biological pump and plastic transport.
Microplastics Reshape the Fate of Aqueous Carbon by Inducing Dynamic Changes in Biodiversity and Chemodiversity
Researchers found that microplastics reshape aqueous carbon cycling by releasing chemical additives that inhibit autotrophic bacteria, promoting CO2 emissions, and stimulating microbial metabolic pathways that transform dissolved organic matter into more stable, less bioavailable forms.
How will marine plastic pollution affect bacterial primary producers?
Researchers highlight findings from their earlier study showing that chemicals leaching from common plastics harm Prochlorococcus — marine bacteria responsible for a significant portion of Earth's oxygen production. They outline key open questions about how plastic pollution affects these tiny but essential ocean microbes and what can be done to identify which leached chemicals are most harmful.
How do microplastics affect the marine microbial loop? Predation of microplastics by microzooplankton
This study examined how micro- and nanoplastics affect marine protozoans that serve as key links in the microbial loop, the process of material and energy cycling in ocean ecosystems. Results showed that both size classes of plastic particles impaired protozoan predation on bacteria, potentially disrupting carbon and nutrient transfer in marine microbial food webs.
Microplastic-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter Regulates Soil Carbon Respiration via Microbial Ecophysiological Controls
Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released by microplastics affects the way soil microbes process carbon. They found that compounds leaching from both new and aged microplastics stimulated soil carbon release, with aged microplastics having a larger effect by altering microbial community structure. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution may influence soil carbon cycling and potentially affect how effectively soils store carbon.
Impacts of climatic stressors on dissolved organic matter leaching from microplastics and their effects on biogeochemical processes: A review
This review examines how microplastics release dissolved organic matter as they break down in the environment, and how climate change may accelerate this process. The chemicals leached from degrading plastics can disrupt microbial communities and natural nutrient cycles, potentially increasing greenhouse gas production and altering the ecosystems that ultimately support our food and water supplies.
Microplastics: New substrates for heterotrophic activity contribute to altering organic matter cycles in aquatic ecosystems
This study demonstrated that heterotrophic bacteria colonizing microplastic surfaces in aquatic ecosystems have distinct metabolic capabilities and can process organic matter at rates different from planktonic bacteria. The findings suggest that the plastisphere — the microbial community on plastic surfaces — may alter organic matter cycling in aquatic environments as microplastic abundance grows.
Plastic leachate exposure drives antibiotic resistance and virulence in marine bacterial communities
This study found that chemicals leaching from plastic waste in seawater can promote antibiotic resistance and virulence in marine bacteria, even without direct contact with the plastic surface. Bacteria exposed to plastic leachate showed increased resistance to multiple antibiotics and enhanced ability to cause disease. The findings suggest that the chemical pollution from degrading plastics may pose broader risks to ocean ecosystems and potentially human health than previously recognized.
Dissolved organic matter leached from microplastic (MPs-DOM) divergently alters pyrene adsorption in soil
Dissolved organic matter leached from microplastics (MPs-DOM) was shown to alter microbial community structure and chemical cycling in water. This suggests that even without direct particle ingestion, the chemical leachates from plastics can reshape aquatic ecosystems.