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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of the microbial community on microplastic samples from the North Atlantic and Great Pacific Garbage Patches
ClearDiversity and Activity of Communities Inhabiting Plastic Debris in the North Pacific Gyre
Researchers collected and characterized the microbial communities living on plastic debris from the North Pacific garbage patch in 2008, finding distinct communities of bacteria and metabolic functions on plastic compared to surrounding seawater. The study was among the first to comprehensively document the biological colonization of ocean plastic debris and the concept of a "plastisphere."
Analysis of 16S rRNA amplicon data illuminates the major role of environment in determining the marine plastisphere microbial communities
Researchers analysed 16S rRNA amplicon data from marine plastisphere communities, finding that environmental factors play the dominant role in determining the microbial communities that colonise microplastic surfaces in marine ecosystems.
Microbial Communities on Plastic Polymers in the Mediterranean Sea
Researchers collected floating microplastics from a bay in the Mediterranean and analyzed their bacterial biofilm communities using 16S rRNA sequencing, finding that microbial communities on plastics were distinct from surrounding seawater and differed between polymer types.
Analysis of 16S rRNA amplicon data illuminates the major role of environment in determining the marine plastisphere microbial communities
By reanalyzing publicly available microbiome data from marine microplastics collected at multiple ocean locations, this study found that the surrounding water environment shapes the community of microbes living on plastic surfaces (the plastisphere) more strongly than the type of plastic polymer does. While both location and polymer type matter, once environmental differences were accounted for, polymer type alone had no statistically significant effect on microbial diversity. This is important because microplastics can carry and transport harmful microbes across vast ocean distances, and understanding what controls those communities helps assess the ecological risk.
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.
Plastics in the North Atlantic garbage patch: A boat-microbe for hitchhikers and plastic degraders
Researchers examined the microbial communities living on plastic debris in the North Atlantic garbage patch, finding that plastics host unique communities of bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes distinct from surrounding seawater. The study highlights that floating plastics act as "microbial islands" that could facilitate the long-distance transport of potentially invasive or pathogenic organisms.
Differentiation of bacterial communities on five common plastics after six days of exposure to Caribbean coastal waters
Researchers found that within just six days of entering Caribbean coastal waters, different plastic polymers — including polystyrene, polyethylene, and nylon — develop distinct microbial communities on their surfaces, with plastic-degrading bacteria rapidly increasing in abundance. This "plastisphere" research shows that the type of plastic influences which microbes colonize it, which could affect both plastic breakdown rates and the spread of microbes in ocean environments.
Plastisphere assemblages differ from the surrounding bacterial communities in transitional coastal environments
Researchers found that bacterial communities colonizing plastic particles (the plastisphere) in Portuguese estuarine and beach environments were significantly different from those in surrounding water and sediments, with plastic type and environmental conditions influencing microbial community composition.
Marine microplastic-associated bacterial community succession in response to geography, exposure time, and plastic type in China's coastal seawaters
Researchers used high-throughput gene sequencing to track how microbial communities on polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics changed over a full year in Chinese coastal waters. They found that the composition of plastic-associated bacterial communities varied significantly across geographic locations and over time, with Alphaproteobacteria being consistently dominant. The study reveals that the plastisphere is a dynamic ecosystem shaped by both environmental conditions and the duration of exposure.
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.
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.
An In Situ Study to Understand Community Structure of Estuarine Microbes on the Plastisphere
Researchers performed 16S rRNA sequencing on biofilms from three microplastic polymer types and glass bead controls deployed in Baltimore Inner Harbor over 28 days, finding that plastisphere communities were taxonomically distinct from free-living microbial communities but that polymer type did not significantly differentiate community composition, with Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, and sulfate-reducing bacteria among the notable colonizers.
Cross-Hemisphere Study Reveals Geographically Ubiquitous, Plastic-Specific Bacteria Emerging from the Rare and Unexplored Biosphere
Researchers found that microplastic particles in three marine ecosystems (Baltic, Sargasso, and Mediterranean seas) harbor 26 geographically ubiquitous plastic-specific bacterial taxa not detected on non-plastic particles or surrounding waters. These rare, largely uncultured microbes suggest that plastic debris acts as a global reservoir for understudied marine bacteria.
Environmental exposure more than plastic composition shapes marine microplastic‐associated bacterial communities in Pacific versus Caribbean field incubations
Researchers incubated six types of household plastic polymers in Pacific and Caribbean coastal waters to study the bacterial communities that form on microplastics. They found that geographic location and exposure time were far more important than plastic type in shaping these microbial communities. The study identified a core plastisphere of 57 bacterial variants common across all conditions, suggesting environmental context plays a bigger role than plastic composition in microplastic colonization.
Marine Microbial Assemblages on Microplastics: Diversity, Adaptation, and Role in Degradation
This review examines microbial communities that colonize microplastics in the ocean, collectively known as the plastisphere. Researchers found that these biofilms differ significantly from those on natural surfaces and may include pathogenic bacteria and species capable of partially degrading plastics. The study highlights both the ecological risks of microplastics as vectors for harmful microbes and the potential for harnessing plastic-degrading organisms.
Microplastic polymer properties as deterministic factors driving terrestrial plastisphere microbiome assembly and succession in the field
Researchers incubated five common microplastic polymer types in landfill soil for 14 months and used 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize the plastisphere communities that assembled on each polymer. Polymer type was a significant deterministic factor in plastisphere microbiome composition, which differed from surrounding soil communities and varied over time.
The geographical and seasonal effects on the composition of marine microplastic and its microbial communities: The case study of Israel and Portugal
Researchers compared microplastic-associated microbial communities in marine environments of Israel and Portugal, finding that both geography and season significantly influence the composition of the plastisphere and its associated bacterial species.
Community composition and seasonal dynamics of microplastic biota in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Scientists studied the microbial communities living on microplastics in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea across all four seasons over two years. They found that microplastics host a distinct and relatively stable community of bacteria and other organisms that differs from the surrounding seawater. This "plastisphere" ecosystem could serve as a vehicle for transporting potentially harmful microorganisms across ocean environments.
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.
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.
Associations between bacterial communities and microplastics from surface seawater of the Northern Patagonian area of Chile
Researchers characterized bacterial communities on microplastics collected from three coastal sites with varying aquaculture activity in Chilean Patagonia, identifying 3,102 OTUs dominated by Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria, with communities differing from surrounding seawater at all sites. Despite site-specific variation, 222 bacterial OTUs were shared across all three locations, suggesting a core plastisphere community that persists across different anthropogenic conditions.
Culturing the Plastisphere: comparing methods to isolate culturable bacteria colonising microplastics
Researchers compared culturing methods for isolating bacteria from the plastisphere (plastic-colonizing microbial communities), finding that method choice strongly influences which bacterial taxa are recovered and that standardization is needed to better assess pathogen and resistance gene enrichment on microplastics.
Short‐term plastisphere colonization dynamics across six plastic types
Researchers studied the short-term colonization dynamics of microbial communities (plastisphere) forming on six plastic polymer types submerged in marine waters in South Australia, finding polymer-type-specific differences in prokaryotic community composition over four weeks.
Substrate-driven microbial diversity and functional potential of plastisphere biofilms in a dynamic coastal ecosystem of northeastern Taiwan
Researchers used full-length 16S rRNA sequencing to compare microbial communities on floating microplastics, natural wood debris, and surface seawater from ten coastal sites in Taiwan, finding that microplastics harbor unique and highly diverse microbial assemblages distinct from those on natural surfaces.