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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microbiomes on microplastics versus natural microcarriers: Stability and transformation during aquatic travel from aquaculture ponds to adjacent stream
ClearLacustrine plastisphere: Distinct succession and assembly processes of prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities and role of site, time, and polymer types
Researchers investigated how microbial communities colonize different types of microplastic polymers in freshwater lakes. The study found that bacteria and single-celled organisms follow distinct assembly patterns on microplastic surfaces, with colonization time, location, and polymer type all influencing community composition. These findings suggest microplastics serve as carriers that can promote microbial spread in aquatic environments.
The travelling particles: community dynamics of biofilms on microplastics transferred along a salinity gradient
Researchers tracked how microbial communities on microplastics changed as the particles moved along a salinity gradient from freshwater to marine environments, finding that the plastisphere shifted substantially with changing salinity. The results suggest that microplastics can transport distinct microbial assemblages across environmental boundaries.
The Effect of Microplastics on Microbial Succession at Impaired and Unimpaired Sites in a Riverine System
Researchers compared microbial biofilm diversity on microplastic polymers and natural substrates at impaired and unimpaired riverine sites, examining how environmental nutrient loads, seasonality, and geography influence microbiome succession on plastic surfaces in freshwater ecosystems.
Microplastic-Associated Biofilms: A Comparison of Freshwater and Marine Environments
This review compared microplastic-associated biofilm communities in freshwater and marine environments, examining how plastic type, ecosystem, and environmental conditions shape the microbial communities that colonize plastic surfaces. Understanding these "plastisphere" communities is important because they may include pathogens and can affect the fate and transport of plastic particles.
Comparative analysis of microplastic and microbial communities in varied aquatic environments: Disparities in occurrence, interconnections, and ecological implications
Comparative surveys of microplastics and associated microbial communities across river, reservoir, and bay environments in the Dongjiang watershed found that MP abundance and microbial community composition differed significantly by water type, with MP surfaces hosting distinct microbial assemblages.
Plastic substrate and residual time of microplastics in the urban river shape the composition and structure of bacterial communities in plastisphere
Researchers conducted an in-site incubation experiment in an urban river using microplastics from three plastic product types (garbage bags, shopping bags, and plastic bottles), finding that both plastic substrate type and incubation time shaped the bacterial communities colonizing the plastisphere. Different plastic products harbored distinct microbial communities, with potential implications for the spread of plastic-associated microorganisms in urban freshwater.
Microplastic biofilm in fresh- and wastewater as a function of microparticle type and size class
Researchers compared the biofilm communities that form on microplastics of different types and sizes in both freshwater and wastewater, finding that biofilm composition was influenced by particle type, size, and water source. These findings advance understanding of the plastisphere — the microbial community unique to plastic surfaces — and its potential role in spreading microorganism-associated risks.
Distinctive patterns of bacterial community succession in the riverine micro-plastisphere in view of biofilm development and ecological niches
Scientists studied how bacterial communities develop on microplastics versus natural materials in river water and found that plastics support a distinct pattern of microbial colonization. The research identified specific bacteria capable of degrading microplastics and revealed that competition among microbes on plastic surfaces follows unexpected patterns compared to natural substrates.
From rivers to marine environments: A constantly evolving microbial community within the plastisphere
Researchers sampled 107 plastic pieces across four aquatic ecosystems in southern France and found that the sampling location and polymer chemistry were the strongest drivers of plastisphere microbial community composition, while only 11% of samples showed elevated Vibrio pathogen levels compared to surrounding water.
The ecology of the plastisphere: Microbial composition, function, assembly, and network in the freshwater and seawater ecosystems
Researchers studied the communities of bacteria and fungi that colonize microplastic surfaces in freshwater and seawater, forming what scientists call the plastisphere. These microplastic-associated communities were distinctly different from those in surrounding water, and included a higher proportion of disease-causing organisms and species involved in pollutant degradation. The findings suggest that microplastics create new habitats that can harbor pathogens and alter natural microbial ecosystems in ways that may affect water quality and human health.
Microbial hitchhikers on microplastics: The exchange of aquatic microbes across distinct aquatic habitats
This study investigated how microorganisms hitchhike on microplastics as they move between river and ocean environments, finding that plastic surfaces were colonized by pollutant-degrading bacteria and plastic-degrading fungi. The mere presence of microplastics in seawater increased the abundance of planktonic fungi from 2% to 25%, showing that microplastics significantly alter microbial communities. This matters for human health because microplastics can transport potentially harmful microorganisms across different water environments, including those used for drinking water and aquaculture.
The structure and assembly mechanisms of plastisphere microbial community in natural marine environment
Researchers investigated how microbial communities colonize different types of microplastic surfaces in natural marine environments over an eight-week period. They found that the composition of these plastic-associated microbial communities, known as the plastisphere, was shaped more by environmental conditions and time than by the specific type of plastic. The study provides new understanding of the ecological processes governing how microorganisms assemble on ocean plastic debris.
Microbial colonization of microplastic particles in aquatic systems
This review examined how microplastic particles become colonized by diverse microbial communities in aquatic environments, forming the so-called plastisphere. The research highlights that microplastics create novel ecological niches and may facilitate the spread of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in freshwater and marine systems.
Microplastic selects for convergent microbiomes from distinct riverine sources
Laboratory experiments showed that microplastic particles from different freshwater sources recruited very similar bacterial communities regardless of their original environment, suggesting that microplastics selectively favor specific bacterial taxa. This convergent microbiome formation on microplastics could facilitate the spread of particular bacteria — including potential pathogens — across diverse water systems.
Unraveling Microplastic-Biofilm Nexus in Aquaculture: Diversity and Functionality of Microbial Communities and Their Effect on Plastic Traits
Researchers incubated five common types of microplastics in an aquaculture pond for 128 days and found that biofilm formation varied significantly depending on the plastic type, with polypropylene and polyethylene supporting the richest microbial communities. PET microplastics attracted more plastic-degrading bacteria like Pseudomonas, while all plastic types enriched potentially pathogenic microorganisms. The findings highlight how different microplastics selectively shape microbial colonization in aquaculture environments, with implications for both environmental health and food safety.
Characteristics of microplastic pollution and analysis of colonized-microbiota in a freshwater aquaculture system.
Researchers found microplastics averaging 288.53 items per liter in freshwater aquaculture ponds in China, dominated by transparent fibers and cellulose particles, and discovered that bacterial communities on microplastic surfaces had significantly higher species richness and diversity than those in surrounding water. The plastisphere communities were enriched with Proteobacteria, including cellulose-degrading and potentially pathogenic species.
Plastisphere in freshwaters: An emerging concern
This review introduced the concept of the freshwater plastisphere - the microbial community colonizing plastic debris in rivers and lakes - and found that freshwater plastisphere communities are compositionally distinct from marine ones and from ambient water microbiomes, with implications for pathogen dispersal and plastic degradation in inland waters.
Distinct microbial communities in the microplastisphere of inland wetlands: Diversity, composition, co-occurrence networks, and functions.
Researchers collected samples from different inland wetland types to characterize the microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces (the microplastisphere), finding distinct bacterial and fungal communities compared to surrounding soils. Community composition varied by wetland type and plastic surface, highlighting the ecological diversity of plastic-associated microbiomes in freshwater habitats.
Ecological Roles and Shared Microbes Differentiate the Plastisphere from Natural Particle-Associated Microbiomes in Urban Rivers
Researchers compared the microbial communities living on microplastics versus natural particles in ten urban river systems. While the two communities shared many similarities, the microplastic-associated community, known as the plastisphere, harbored distinct bacteria with specialized abilities to break down complex carbon compounds. The study suggests that microplastics in rivers create unique microbial habitats that may influence nutrient cycling and pollutant degradation differently than natural particles.
The plastisphere ecology: Assessing the impact of different pollution sources on microbial community composition, function and assembly in aquatic ecosystems
Researchers studied the microbial communities living on microplastic surfaces (called the plastisphere) across four different aquatic sites and found that plastics host a distinctly different mix of microbes than the surrounding water, shaped by local pollution sources. These plastic-surface microbes also carry more antibiotic resistance genes and show greater potential for breaking down plastics, making the plastisphere both a health concern and a potential bioremediation resource.
Formation of specific bacterial assemblages on sterile polyethylene microplastic particles added to a marine aquaria system
Researchers characterized bacterial assemblages that formed on sterile polyethylene microplastic particles after 12 weeks of incubation in marine aquaria, comparing the plastisphere communities to those on sterile sandy sediment and in water fractions to determine whether microplastics select for distinct or potentially pathogenic bacterial communities. The study found that microplastics hosted specific bacterial assemblages distinct from surrounding environmental fractions, confirming their role as selective surfaces for microbial colonization.
Aquatic Biofilms and Plastisphere
This review examined aquatic biofilms and plastisphere communities that colonize microplastic surfaces, discussing how plastic substrates select for distinct microbial assemblages and may harbor pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes.
Microbial Dynamics on Different Microplastics in Coastal Urban Aquatic Ecosystems: The Critical Roles of Extracellular Polymeric Substances
Researchers investigated how microbial communities colonize different types of microplastics in urban coastal waters, forming distinct ecosystems known as plastispheres. They found that the type of plastic significantly shaped which bacteria grew on it and how much sticky extracellular material they produced. Understanding these microbial communities on microplastics matters because they can harbor harmful bacteria and influence how pollutants move through aquatic environments.
Microbial composition on microplastics mediated by stream impairment
This study compared the microbial communities living on microplastics collected from streams with different levels of water quality impairment, finding that poorer water quality was associated with distinct biofilm compositions on the plastic surfaces. Streams with greater impairment harbored different — and potentially more harmful — communities of microorganisms on the microplastics they carried. The findings suggest that microplastics in degraded waterways may act as vectors for spreading pollution-adapted or pathogenic microbes downstream.