Papers

61,005 results
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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

Diversity, abundance and distribution characteristics of potential polyethylene and polypropylene microplastic degradation bacterial communities in the urban river

Researchers conducted a 1,150-day experiment in an urban river to identify bacteria capable of degrading polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics. The study found two distinct groups of plastic-degrading bacteria, with many rare or low-abundance species in natural river biofilms that may serve as potential degraders, helping explain the slow breakdown rate of these common microplastics in waterways.

2023 Water Research 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Nascently generated microplastics in freshwater stream are colonized by bacterial communities from stream and riparian sources

Researchers examined bacterial colonization of different types of nascently generated microplastics through time in a freshwater stream ecosystem, finding that colonizing taxa and their degradative abilities varied based on microplastic polymer type and time of exposure.

2024 Journal of Environmental Quality 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of pristine and aged poly-L-lactic acid and polyethylene terephthalate as microbe carriers in surface water: Displaying apparent differences

Researchers compared how pristine and UV-aged biodegradable poly-L-lactic acid and non-degradable PET microplastics serve as carriers for microbial communities in river water. They found that aged microplastics attracted more microbes and had higher biofilm formation than pristine ones, and that the biodegradable PLLA supported greater microbial enrichment and diversity than PET. The study demonstrates that microplastics in aquatic environments are highly effective carriers for bacteria, including pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes.

2024 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Differential responses of bacterial and archaeal communities to biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics in river

A 14-day microcosm experiment compared bacterial and archaeal community responses to biodegradable PLA and non-biodegradable PVC microplastics in river water using metagenomics. Both microplastic types selectively enriched distinct microbial assemblages, with archaeal communities more sensitive to colonization time than bacterial communities, and PLA fostering distinct biodegrading taxa.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilms on plastic litter in an urban river: Community composition and activity vary by substrate type

Researchers examined biofilms colonizing plastic litter versus natural surfaces in an urban river, finding that community composition and metabolic activity vary by substrate type, with plastic surfaces hosting distinct microbial communities that may influence plastic degradation rates.

2024 Water Environment Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial degradation potential of microplastics in urban river sediments: Assessing and predicting the enrichment of PE/PP-degrading bacteria using SourceTracker and machine learning

Researchers analyzed sediment samples from urban rivers to assess the microplastic degradation potential of resident microbial communities, finding that enrichment sources and local environmental conditions determine the abundance of plastic-degrading microbes and their capacity to break down different polymer types.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular Characterization of the Bacterial Community in Biofilms for Degradation of Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-3-Hydroxyhexanoate) Films in Seawater

Researchers characterised the bacterial community in biofilms degrading PHBH films in seawater, finding that Glaciecola dominated during early degradation on intact surfaces, while Rhodobacteraceae, Rhodospirillaceae, and Oceanospirillaceae became dominant on broken or partially degraded films. The dynamic community shift revealed that different microbial consortia drive successive stages of marine biodegradable plastic degradation.

2018 Microbes and Environments 104 citations
Article Tier 2

Diversity and functional genes of bacterial communities enriched from an estuarine sediment for degradation of polylactic acid microplastics

Researchers enriched bacterial communities from estuarine sediment to study their ability to break down polylactic acid microplastics, a common biodegradable plastic. After 60 days, the enriched cultures reduced the weight of the microplastics by 40 percent, with specific bacterial groups and degradation-related genes becoming more abundant. The study suggests that naturally occurring microbes in coastal sediments have meaningful potential to biodegrade certain types of plastic pollution.

2025 Emerging contaminants 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic is an Abundant and Distinct Microbial Habitat in an Urban River

Researchers demonstrated that microplastic surfaces in an urban river host a microbial community that is distinct from surrounding water and sediment communities, establishing microplastic as an abundant and ecologically distinct habitat for river microorganisms.

2014 Environmental Science & Technology 1428 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of biodegradable microplastics on organic micropollutants biodegradation in river bank sediments

Researchers designed a batch study to examine how polyethylene, polystyrene, and biodegradable polylactide microplastics affect the biodegradation of ten organic micropollutants in river bank filtration sediments, investigating whether microplastics alter microbial community function and pollutant removal efficiency through adsorption, carbon release, and community disruption.

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

Effects of biodegradable microplastics on organic micropollutants biodegradation in river bank sediments

Researchers designed a batch study to examine how polyethylene, polystyrene, and biodegradable polylactide microplastics affect the biodegradation of ten organic micropollutants in river bank filtration sediments, investigating whether microplastics alter microbial community function and pollutant removal efficiency through adsorption, carbon release, and community disruption.

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

Microplastic exposure drives divergent assembly mechanisms in riverine microorganisms: Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) triggers metabolic shifts vs polyethylene-enhanced network complexity

Researchers compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PBAT microplastics affect microbial communities in river water over 60 days. They found that both types significantly altered bacterial diversity, but through different mechanisms: PBAT triggered metabolic shifts in microorganisms while polyethylene increased the complexity of microbial networks. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can meaningfully disrupt aquatic microbial ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Wastewater discharges and polymer type modulate the riverine plastisphere and set the role of microplastics as vectors of pathogens and antibiotic resistance

Researchers investigated how wastewater treatment plant discharges and polymer type shape microbial communities on microplastics in a river environment. They found that microplastics harbored significantly higher microbial diversity than surrounding water, and that wastewater discharges led to a 2.3-fold increase in antibiotic resistance gene abundance on the plastic surfaces. Different polymer types, including polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET, each attracted distinct microbial communities with varying levels of pathogens and resistance genes.

2025 Journal of Water Process Engineering 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering the Mechanisms Shaping the Plastisphere Microbiota in Soil

Researchers characterized bacterial communities colonizing biodegradable and conventional microplastics in soil, finding that polymer type and biodegradability shaped distinct plastisphere communities, with deterministic processes playing a stronger role in community assembly than in surrounding soil.

2022 mSystems 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial colonizers of microplastics in an Arctic freshwater lake

Researchers characterized the microbial communities that colonize biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics deployed in an Arctic freshwater lake over eleven days. The study found that the plastisphere microbial community was complex and differed from the surrounding water, with biodegradable plastic attracting distinct bacterial groups, suggesting that microplastic type influences which microorganisms colonize these particles in pristine environments.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic succession and biodegradation potential of microplastic prokaryotic microbial communities in the Pearl River estuary

Researchers conducted a 35-day field experiment in the Pearl River Estuary to study how microbial communities colonize and change over time on different types of microplastic surfaces. They found that the bacterial communities on microplastics underwent distinct succession phases and differed significantly from those in surrounding water and sediment. The study identified several microorganisms with potential plastic-degrading capabilities, suggesting that microplastic surfaces in estuarine environments may harbor unique biodegradation-relevant microbial communities.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Can Microplastic Pollution Change Important Aquatic Bacterial Communities?

Microplastics in coastal sediments can change the composition of important bacterial communities that cycle nutrients and maintain ecosystem health. Microplastic-associated bacteria differ significantly from natural sediment bacteria, with potential consequences for the chemical processes these communities perform.

2021 Frontiers for Young Minds
Article Tier 2

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.

2024
Article Tier 2

Bacterial Abundance, Diversity and Activity During Long-Term Colonization of Non-biodegradable and Biodegradable Plastics in Seawater

Biofilm communities on conventional (polyethylene and polystyrene) and biodegradable plastics were tracked over 7 months of seawater immersion, finding highly abundant and diverse plastisphere communities on all polymer types but limited evidence of active plastic biodegradation under natural marine conditions.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Toward sustainable plastic bioremediation using bacterial consortia from aquatic environments.

This study explored the biotechnological potential of native bacteria from diverse aquatic environments to biodegrade synthetic plastics and microplastics. Bacterial consortia isolated from contaminated sites showed promising plastic-degrading capabilities, pointing toward bioremediation strategies for plastic pollution.

2025 Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology
Article Tier 2

Diversity and structure of microbial biofilms on microplastics in riverine waters of the Pearl River Delta, China

Microbial biofilm communities on microplastics in Pearl River Delta waterways showed distinct composition and diversity compared to surrounding water and natural surfaces, with river environmental conditions more influential than plastic polymer type in shaping biofilm structure.

2021 Chemosphere 62 citations
Article Tier 2

A functional gene-array analysis of microbial communities settling on microplastics in a peat-draining environment

Researchers exposed polyethylene terephthalate and polylactic acid microplastics in a peat-draining river in Malaysia for six months, using functional gene arrays to characterize the microbial communities colonizing the plastic surfaces compared to surrounding water.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 30 citations