Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 227 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine microplastic-associated biofilms – a review

This review synthesizes research on biofilm communities forming on marine microplastics, covering their composition, formation dynamics, and potential consequences for both plastic fate and ocean microbiology. The authors highlight that plastic-associated biofilms can include pathogens and toxin producers, and that the plastisphere community differs meaningfully from the surrounding seawater microbiome.

2015 Environmental Chemistry 463 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilms on Plastic Debris and the Microbiome

This review synthesizes knowledge on biofilms that colonize plastic debris in the ocean, known as the plastisphere, covering how microbial communities are structured and how they interact with the surrounding environment. The authors discuss implications for nutrient cycling, pathogen transport, and polymer degradation.

2024 Microorganisms 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Surfing and dining on the “plastisphere”: Microbial life on plastic marine debris

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.

2017 Advances in Oceanography and Limnology 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine Plastic Debris: A New Surface for Microbial Colonization

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.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 465 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastisphere - a new habitat of microbial community: Composition, structure and ecological consequences

This review examines the plastisphere — microbial communities colonizing microplastics — covering the composition and structure of plastisphere microbiomes across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments and discussing ecological consequences including pathogen dispersal.

2025 Sustainable Environment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Time-series incubations in a coastal environment illuminates the importance of early colonizers and the complexity of bacterial biofilm dynamics on marine plastics

Researchers used time-series incubations in a coastal marine environment to track plastisphere biofilm formation on microplastics, finding that early bacterial colonizers play a disproportionate role in shaping community dynamics and that biofilm composition is highly complex, varying with polymer type, incubation time, and surrounding environment.

2022 Environmental Pollution 28 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

(micro)Plastic biofilms: Keeping afloat by carving out a new niche

This review examined how microplastics serve as persistent substrates for microbial biofilm formation in natural environments, creating a novel ecological niche called the plastisphere that hosts distinct microbial communities. The authors discussed how these biofilms alter microplastic surface properties and may enhance the persistence and transport of plastic particles and associated microbes.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

(micro)Plastic biofilms: Keeping afloat by carving out a new niche

This review examined how microplastics accumulate microbial biofilms, creating a distinct ecological niche with unique community composition and metabolic activities. The microplastic biofilm, or plastisphere, can harbor pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, raising concerns about plastic particles as vectors of biological hazards.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Plastisphere community assemblage of aquatic environment: plastic-microbe interaction, role in degradation and characterization technologies

This review examines the plastisphere—microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces in aquatic environments—covering how these biofilms form, their role in plastic biodegradation, and current characterization technologies for studying plastic-microbe interactions.

2022 Environmental Microbiome 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm formation and its implications on the properties and fate of microplastics in aquatic environments: A review

Researchers reviewed how microplastics in water attract and support communities of bacteria and other microorganisms that form biofilms — living coatings that alter the plastic particles' movement, help them carry pathogens, and affect how toxic chemicals attached to the plastic are absorbed by living things. Understanding this "plastisphere" ecosystem is critical for predicting where microplastics go and how harmful they become.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 219 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial hitchhikers on marine plastic debris: Human exposure risks at bathing waters and beach environments.

This review examines how marine plastic debris serves as a habitat for microbial communities including potential pathogens, a phenomenon called the Plastisphere, and assesses the human health risks when plastic-associated microbes reach bathing waters and beaches. The authors conclude that plastic litter can amplify microbial hazards to public health in coastal recreation areas.

2016 Marine environmental research
Article Tier 2

Spatial and seasonal variation in diversity and structure of microbial biofilms on marine plastics in Northern European waters

Researchers investigated how microbial biofilm communities on marine plastics vary by season, location, and plastic type in Northern European waters. The study found distinct spatial and seasonal patterns in plastisphere microbial communities on polyethylene terephthalate surfaces, providing insights into how plastic debris develops unique biological communities in marine environments.

2014 FEMS Microbiology Ecology 515 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2017 ˜The œhandbook of environmental chemistry 188 citations
Article Tier 2

Relative Influence of Plastic Debris Size and Shape, Chemical Composition and Phytoplankton-Bacteria Interactions in Driving Seawater Plastisphere Abundance, Diversity and Activity

This study evaluated the relative influence of plastic debris size, shape, chemical composition, and environmental conditions on the microbial communities colonizing ocean plastics (the plastisphere). Results showed that multiple plastic properties and environmental factors jointly shape which microorganisms colonize plastic surfaces in the marine environment.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamics of fouling of plastic waste fragments by microorganisms in the Gulf of Finland

Researchers studied how quickly microorganism communities (biofilms) develop on plastic waste fragments in the Gulf of Finland. The plasticosphere — the microbial community colonizing plastic surfaces — forms rapidly and has distinct characteristics from biofilms on natural materials, with potential ecological implications for how pollutants are transported in the marine environment.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПОВЕДЕНИЯ МИКРОПЛАТИКА В ВОДНОЙ СРЕДЕ: ПЛАСТИСФЕРА - НОВАЯ МОРСКАЯ ЭКОСИСТЕМА

This review examines the behavior of microplastics in aquatic environments with a focus on the Plastisphere - microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces that form a novel marine ecosystem. The review synthesizes information on Plastisphere formation mechanisms, distribution in water, risks associated with pathogen and pollutant transport, and potential applications for removing microplastics from contaminated water.

2025 Проблемы окружающей среды и природных ресурсов
Article Tier 2

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.

2019 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology 184 citations