Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Urbanization promotes specific bacteria in freshwater microbiomes including potential pathogens

Researchers used full-length 16S rRNA sequencing to compare freshwater microbial communities across urban and rural lakes in Germany, finding that urbanization consistently promoted specific bacterial genera including potential pathogens such as Escherichia/Shigella and Rickettsia, driven by warming, eutrophication, and wastewater inputs.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering the distinct successional patterns and potential roles of abundant and rare microbial taxa of urban riverine plastisphere

Researchers examined how microbial communities colonize microplastics in urban river environments, distinguishing between abundant and rare bacterial species. The study found that rare taxa played critical roles in maintaining community stability on plastic surfaces, while abundant taxa drove community succession, and both groups contributed to nutrient cycling functions.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Rhizospheric bacterial communities against microplastics (MPs): Novel ecological strategies based on the niche differentiation

Researchers studied how bacterial communities living around plant roots adapt when exposed to microplastics in soil. They found that rhizosphere bacteria developed distinct survival strategies depending on their ecological niche, with some species thriving while others declined in the presence of plastics. The study reveals that microplastics can reshape the microbial communities that plants depend on for nutrient uptake and disease resistance.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into the role of niche concept in deciphering the ecological drivers of MPs-associated bacterial communities in mangrove forest

This study investigated how environmental factors shape the bacterial communities colonizing microplastics (the plastisphere) in mangrove forests, examining niche partitioning and ecological drivers. Results revealed that local environmental gradients strongly influenced plastisphere community assembly, with implications for understanding how microplastics alter microbial ecology in mangrove systems.

2023 Water Research 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial community niches on microplastics and prioritized environmental factors under various urban riverine conditions

Researchers manipulated organic content, salinity, and dissolved oxygen in bioreactors to assess which environmental factors most strongly shaped microbial communities colonizing microplastics in urban rivers. Dissolved oxygen and organic carbon content were identified as priority drivers of plastisphere community composition, with implications for predicting pathogen enrichment on MPs across river conditions.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Toward an intensive understanding of sewer sediment prokaryotic community assembly and function

Researchers characterized prokaryotic communities in sewer sediments across multifunctional, commercial, and residential urban areas using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, finding significant compositional differences linked to land use and nutrient levels. Network analysis revealed the residential area harbored the most complex and stable microbial network, while stochastic processes dominated community assembly across all zones.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

High-throughput absolute quantification sequencing reveals the adaptive succession and assembly pattern of plastisphere communities in municipal sewer systems: Influence of environmental factors and microplastic polymer types

Microplastics in municipal sewer systems develop their own distinct microbial communities (the 'plastisphere') that are shaped both by the type of plastic polymer and by environmental conditions like temperature and nutrient levels. The study found that different plastic types selectively enriched different microbes, including potential pathogens, meaning sewers could be hotspots for microplastic-mediated spread of harmful bacteria into waterways. This research highlights an understudied but practically important dimension of urban microplastic contamination.

2023 Environmental Pollution 1 citations
Article Tier 2

[Community Structure and Microbial Function Responses of Biofilms Colonizing on Microplastics with Vertical Distribution in Urban Water].

Biofilm communities colonizing microplastics at different depths in urban water bodies were found to differ significantly in community structure and metabolic function. Microplastics at different depths were exposed to varying light, oxygen, and nutrient conditions, which shaped the attached microbial communities. Understanding how microplastics host distinct microbial assemblages is important for assessing their role as vectors for pathogens and chemical pollutants.

2022 PubMed 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Uniqueness and Dependence of Bacterial Communities on Microplastics: Comparison with Water, Sediment, and Soil

Researchers compared bacterial communities on microplastics with those in water, sediment, and soil in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, finding that microplastic-associated communities are unique in composition and ecological function compared to surrounding environments.

2021 Microbial Ecology 38 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological Rolesand Shared Microbes Differentiatethe Plastisphere from Natural Particle-Associated Microbiomes in UrbanRivers

Researchers compared the microbiomes on microplastics (the 'plastisphere') versus natural particles in ten urban rivers using metagenomics, finding similar overall taxonomic and functional compositions between the two. However, the plastisphere harbored distinct specialist taxa with enhanced capacity for complex carbohydrate metabolism and unique ecological strategies.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Microbial Community in a Wastewater System

Researchers characterized microbial community composition in a wastewater treatment system, examining how treatment stage and operational conditions shape bacterial diversity and functional potential relevant to pollutant degradation.

2024
Article Tier 2

Ecological differentiation and assembly processes of abundant and rare bacterial subcommunities in karst groundwater

Researchers examined ecological differentiation between abundant and rare bacterial communities in karst groundwater in southwest China, revealing distinct assembly processes and environmental drivers that maintain ecosystem stability in these vulnerable aquifers.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Abiotic and Biotic Effects on Microbial Diversity of Small Water Bodies in and around Towns

Metagenomic analysis of microbial communities in nine small urban water bodies across four seasons found that water quality had a greater influence on microbial community structure than habitat type, with alien species also contributing significantly to microbial diversity shifts.

2023 Sustainability 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of Heavy Metals and Microbial Communities in Contaminated Sediments Along an Urban Estuary

Researchers studied heavy metal contamination and microbial community composition in estuarine sediments along an urban waterway, finding that urbanization-driven metal accumulation significantly altered microbial diversity and community structure.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Anthropogenic Litter in Urban Freshwater Ecosystems: Distribution and Microbial Interactions

Researchers quantified anthropogenic litter in urban rivers and streams and found that microplastics dominated by mass and particle count compared to macroplastic items. The study highlights urban freshwater systems as major conduits for plastic pollution moving toward marine environments and documents distinct microbial communities on plastic surfaces.

2014 PLoS ONE 287 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in urban waters and its effects on microbial communities: a critical review

This critical review examined microplastic pollution in urban freshwater systems and its effects on microbial communities including water microbiomes and biofilm communities. The authors found evidence that microplastics alter microbial diversity, promote antibiotic resistance gene transfer, and disrupt carbon and nutrient cycling.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Urbanization promotes specific bacteria in freshwater microbiomes including potential pathogens

Urbanization significantly alters freshwater microbial communities, promoting potentially harmful bacterial groups including Escherichia/Shigella and Streptococcus in lakes near cities. Eutrophication driven by urban runoff creates conditions that favor pathogens, posing long-term public health risks as cities continue to grow.

2020 6 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Water Research 311 citations