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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Knowledge and Opportunities from the Plastisphere: A Prelude for the Search of Plastic Degrading Bacteria on Coastal Environments
ClearMarine 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.
Investigating the roles of microbes in biodegrading or colonizing microplastic surfaces
Researchers investigated the roles of microbes in biodegrading or colonizing microplastic surfaces, examining how microbial communities interact with plastic polymers in environmental settings. The study characterized the 'plastisphere' — the community of microorganisms that colonize microplastic surfaces — and assessed the extent to which microbial activity contributes to plastic degradation in natural environments.
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.
Aquatic Microbial Diversity on Plastisphere: Colonization and Potential Role in Microplastic Biodegradation
This review examines how microorganisms colonize the surfaces of floating plastic debris in aquatic environments, forming communities known as the plastisphere. Researchers found that certain bacteria and fungi on plastic surfaces show potential for biodegrading the polymers they inhabit. The study suggests that understanding these microbial communities could lead to biological approaches for breaking down microplastic pollution in waterways.
Microbial colonization and degradation of marine microplastics in the plastisphere: A review
This review explores the "plastisphere" — the community of microorganisms that colonize microplastics floating in the ocean. Researchers found that bacteria, fungi, algae, and other microbes form unique biofilm communities on plastic surfaces, some of which can partially degrade the plastic while others include potentially harmful pathogens. Understanding these microbial communities is important for assessing both the ecological risks and possible bioremediation potential of marine microplastic pollution.
Plastisphere microbiome: Methodology, diversity, and functionality
This review explores the plastisphere, the community of microorganisms that colonize plastic debris in the environment. The authors cover methods for studying these microbial communities, the diversity of organisms found living on plastics, and their functional roles including potential plastic degradation and pathogen harboring. Understanding the plastisphere is important because these microbial communities can influence how plastics break down and what health risks plastic pollution may pose.
A review on marine plastisphere: biodiversity, formation, and role in degradation
This review explored the "plastisphere," the community of bacteria, fungi, and algae that colonize microplastic surfaces in the ocean. Researchers found that these microbial communities differ from those in surrounding seawater and include species capable of degrading plastic, though the process is extremely slow. Understanding the plastisphere is important because it influences how microplastics behave in the ocean, including whether they sink or float and how they interact with marine life.
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.
Diversity 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."
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.
Engineering a microbiosphere to clean up the ocean – inspiration from the plastisphere
This perspective paper proposes engineering a microbiosphere on plastic surfaces in the ocean by recruiting and cultivating plastic-degrading microorganisms to degrade floating plastic waste in situ, drawing inspiration from the natural microbial communities found in the plastisphere.
Microplastics under siege: Biofilm-forming marine bacteria from the microplastisphere and their role in plastic degradation
Researchers isolated and screened bacteria from microplastics collected along coastal beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to assess their ability to degrade plastic. One bacterial strain achieved over 10% degradation of low-density polyethylene, with surface analysis confirming physical breakdown of the plastic. The study suggests that naturally occurring marine bacteria colonizing microplastics may play a role in plastic biodegradation in ocean environments.
Direct evidence for selective microbial enrichment with plastic degradation potential in the plastisphere
This study provided direct experimental evidence that microplastic surfaces selectively enrich bacteria capable of degrading plastic polymers, addressing the long-standing hypothesis that the plastisphere harbors plastic-degrading microbes. Bacteria isolated from microplastic biofilms demonstrably used plastic as a carbon source, confirming that environmental microplastics actively select for and concentrate plastic-degrading communities.
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.
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.
Microplastics as a New Ecological Niche For Multispecies Microbial Biofilms within the Plastisphere
This review examines microplastics as a novel ecological niche — the 'plastisphere' — analyzing how multispecies microbial biofilms colonize plastic surfaces, differ from surrounding environmental communities, and may facilitate biodegradation and horizontal gene transfer.
Biodiversity of Microorganisms Colonizing the Surface of Polystyrene Samples Exposed to Different Aqueous Environments
Researchers examined which bacteria colonize polystyrene surfaces in seawater and industrial water, finding distinct microbial communities dominated by Alphaproteobacteria in seawater. Some of the colonizing bacteria have known plastic-degrading abilities, suggesting the plastisphere could be harnessed for bioremediation of plastic pollution.
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.
16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of the microbial community on microplastic samples from the North Atlantic and Great Pacific Garbage Patches
Researchers compared microbial communities living on microplastics collected from the North Atlantic and Great Pacific Garbage Patches, finding distinct plastisphere communities shaped by ocean region and plastic type. Understanding which microbes thrive on ocean plastic helps assess the risk of harmful or antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreading on plastic debris.
Putative degraders of low‐density polyethylene‐derived compounds are ubiquitous members of plastic‐associated bacterial communities in the marine environment
This study compared bacterial communities on plastic debris from the Pacific, North Atlantic, and northern Adriatic to identify potential plastic-degrading microbes, finding that putative LDPE-degraders are widespread and common members of ocean plastic biofilms. The widespread distribution of plastic-degrading bacteria in ocean environments suggests that biological plastic breakdown is occurring in the ocean, but at an unknown rate.
Microbe-mineral interactions in the Plastisphere: Coastal biogeochemistry and consequences for degradation of plastics
This study investigated how microbe-mineral interactions in the plastisphere influence coastal biogeochemistry, finding that plastic surfaces support distinct microbial communities that participate in mineral formation and elemental cycling in ways that may accelerate or alter plastic degradation.
A roadmap for a Plastisphere
This paper discusses the concept of the 'Plastisphere'—the total surface area of plastic debris in the environment that hosts unique microbial communities. The author reviews current knowledge and outlines a research roadmap for understanding how the Plastisphere affects ecosystem function and potentially human health through the spread of pathogens and antibiotic resistance.
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.
Assembly strategies for polyethylene-degrading microbial consortia based on the combination of omics tools and the "Plastisphere".
This review examines the microorganisms and enzymes capable of degrading polyethylene and discusses how combining genomic tools with studies of plastic-associated microbial communities could lead to more effective biodegradation strategies. The findings suggest that engineered microbial consortia guided by omics data hold promise for breaking down one of the world's most persistent plastics.