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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics benefit bacteria colonization and induce microcystin degradation
ClearEffects of cyanotoxins on nitrogen transformation in aquaculture systems with microplastics coexposure: Adsorption behavior, bacterial communities and functional genes
Combined exposure of polystyrene and polylactic acid microplastics with microcystin-LR in simulated aquaculture ponds disrupted nitrogen transformation processes and shifted microbial communities, with adsorption behavior of the toxin on different MP types influencing overall ecotoxicity.
Sorption of the common freshwater cyanotoxin microcystin to microplastics
Researchers demonstrated that microplastics from freshwater environments can adsorb the harmful algal bloom toxin microcystin onto their surfaces, potentially concentrating the toxin and altering its environmental fate. This finding suggests that microplastics in lakes with cyanobacterial blooms may act as carriers for toxins that affect fish, wildlife, and humans.
Nanoplastics Promote Microcystin Synthesis and Release from Cyanobacterial Microcystis aeruginosa
Researchers discovered that amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics promote both the production and release of microcystin, a harmful toxin, from the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. The nanoplastics inhibited photosynthesis, induced oxidative stress, and damaged cell membranes, which enhanced toxin synthesis and extracellular release. The findings suggest that nanoplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems could worsen the threat of harmful algal blooms to aquatic ecology and human health.
Nanoplastics promote microcystin synthesis and release from cyanobacterial Microcystis aeruginosa.
Researchers showed that amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NH2) stimulate microcystin synthesis and release in the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa by inhibiting photosystem II and increasing membrane permeability. This is the first direct evidence linking nanoplastics to enhanced cyanotoxin production in freshwater blooms.
Micrometer scale polystyrene plastics of varying concentrations and particle sizes inhibit growth and upregulate microcystin-related gene expression in Microcystis aeruginosa
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics inhibited the growth of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa in a dose- and size-dependent manner, with smaller particles and higher concentrations causing greater growth suppression. Notably, microplastic exposure also upregulated genes related to microcystin production, suggesting that microplastics could potentially increase the toxicity of harmful algal blooms.
Experimental Evidence from the Field that Naturally Weathered Microplastics Accumulate Cyanobacterial Toxins in Eutrophic Lakes
Researchers conducted laboratory sorption experiments and field sampling in eutrophic lakes to test whether naturally weathered microplastics accumulate cyanobacterial toxins (microcystins). Weathered microplastics from the field had significantly higher microcystin concentrations than predicted from lab sorption experiments with pristine plastics, confirming that naturally aged plastics are more effective toxin carriers.
Ecotoxicological and health implications of microplastic-associated biofilms: a recent review and prospect for turning the hazards into benefits
This review examined the ecological and health implications of biofilms that form on microplastics, discussing how these plastisphere communities can harbor pathogens and alter microplastic properties, while also exploring potential beneficial applications of microplastic-associated biofilms.
Micro- and nanoplastic stress intensifies Microcystis aeruginosa physiology and toxin risks under environmentally relevant water chemistry conditions
Researchers exposed the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa to environmentally relevant concentrations of micro- and nanoplastics, finding both significantly enhanced algal biomass and microcystin toxin production, with nanoplastics additionally promoting extracellular toxin release.
Microplastic characteristics differentially influence cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom microbial community membership, growth, and toxin production
Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics influence the growth and toxin production of harmful algal blooms in freshwater. They found that certain microplastic characteristics, such as shape and polymer type, significantly affected which microbial species thrived and how much toxin was produced. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may play an underappreciated role in worsening harmful algal blooms in lakes and reservoirs.
Adsorption of cyanotoxins on polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate: Microplastics as vector of eight microcystin analogues
Eight microcystin analogues were tested for adsorption onto polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics, finding that these common plastics can bind cyanotoxins from freshwater environments. The study identifies microplastics as potential vectors for cyanobacterial toxins in lakes and reservoirs, with implications for drinking water safety.
Responses of bloom-forming Microcystis aeruginosa to polystyrene microplastics exposure: Growth and photosynthesis
Researchers exposed bloom-forming blue-green algae (Microcystis aeruginosa) to polystyrene microplastics and found a complex pattern: high concentrations (50–100 mg/L) temporarily suppressed growth and photosynthesis in the middle of the experiment, but promoted growth at the beginning and end. This suggests microplastics could worsen harmful algal blooms in the long run, which is concerning because these blooms produce toxins that contaminate drinking water.
Modifying luteolin’s algicidal effect on Microcystis by virgin and diversely-aged polystyrene microplastics: Unveiling novel mechanisms through microalgal adaptive strategies
Polystyrene microplastics at concentrations of 0.5-50 mg/L -- both fresh and aged -- weakened the ability of the natural algicide luteolin to suppress Microcystis cyanobacterial blooms by stimulating the algae to produce more protective exopolymers and form aggregates with the plastic particles.
Microplastics enhanced the allelopathy of pyrogallol on toxic Microcystis with additional risks: Microcystins release and greenhouse gases emissions
This study found that polystyrene microplastics enhanced the inhibitory effect of the allelochemical pyrogallol on Microcystis aeruginosa cyanobacteria, but also triggered greater release of toxic microcystins and greenhouse gases including methane. The results highlight unintended ecological consequences of microplastic interactions with algal control strategies.
Fate, abundance and ecological risks of microcystins in aquatic environment: The implication of microplastics
This review explores how microplastics in water can interact with microcystins, highly toxic compounds produced by harmful algal blooms, by adsorbing and transporting them through aquatic environments. The combination poses increased risks to human health because microplastics can carry these dangerous toxins into drinking water sources and through the food chain.
The Plastisphere: Microbial Communities and Their Role in Microplastic Biodegradation in Aquatic Environments: A Review
This review examines the plastisphere, the complex microbial communities that colonize microplastic surfaces in aquatic environments, and their potential role in biodegrading these pollutants. Researchers found that organisms such as cyanobacteria and diatoms play key roles in microplastic colonization and potential breakdown through enzymatic degradation mechanisms. The study highlights that while microbial biodegradation of microplastics shows promise, much more research is needed to understand the full ecological implications of plastisphere communities.
Effects of Polyester Microfibers on the Growth and Toxicity Production of Bloom-Forming Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa
Green, black, and white polyester microplastic fibers at concentrations of 10-200 mg/L affected the growth, photosynthesis, and toxin production of the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa in color- and concentration-dependent ways. Black microplastics caused the greatest inhibition of growth while simultaneously altering microcystin production, suggesting MPs could shift the hazard profile of harmful algal blooms.
Microcystin bound on microplastics in eutrophic waters: A potential threat to zooplankton revealed by adsorption-desorption processes
Researchers studied adsorption and desorption of the cyanotoxin microcystin onto microplastics in eutrophic freshwater and found that microplastics can act as vectors carrying bound cyanotoxins to zooplankton, enhancing toxin transfer through the food web beyond what free toxin exposure alone would predict.
Complex interactions among temperature, microplastics and cyanobacteria may facilitate cyanobacteria proliferation and microplastic deposition
Researchers investigated how microplastics interact with temperature and nutrient conditions to affect cyanobacterial growth, finding that microplastics can alter cyanobacterial physiology and potentially exacerbate bloom formation under warming conditions.
The Inhibition of Microcystin Adsorption by Microplastics in the Presence of Algal Organic Matters
Researchers found that polyethylene, polystyrene, and polymethyl methacrylate microplastics can adsorb microcystin MC-LR from water, but the presence of algal intracellular organic matter (IOM) reduced this adsorption by up to 22.7% due to competitive binding, suggesting that microplastic uptake of harmful natural toxins is likely overestimated in realistic aquatic conditions.
Polymer-specific toxicity of microplastics to Microcystis aeruginosa: Growth inhibition, physiological responses, and molecular mechanisms
Researchers exposed the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa to four polymer types over 12 days and found that all significantly inhibited growth, with PVC causing the greatest inhibition, and identified polymer-specific molecular mechanisms including oxidative stress and photosynthesis disruption.