Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Sustainable Environment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Freshwater plastisphere: a review on biodiversity, risks, and biodegradation potential with implications for the aquatic ecosystem health

This review examines the communities of microbes that colonize plastic debris in freshwater environments, known as the "plastisphere." These microbial communities include potentially dangerous bacteria and organisms that can carry antibiotic resistance genes, meaning plastic pollution may serve as a vehicle for spreading pathogens and drug-resistant infections through water systems that people rely on.

2024 Frontiers in Microbiology 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Health Impact of Plastisphere

This review examines the growing body of research on plastisphere ecosystems in aquatic environments including rivers, lakes, and estuaries, discussing microbial community composition on plastic surfaces and the ecological consequences for freshwater biodiversity and function.

2025
Article Tier 2

From rivers to marine environments: A constantly evolving microbial community within the plastisphere

Researchers sampled 107 plastic pieces across four aquatic ecosystems in southern France and found that the sampling location and polymer chemistry were the strongest drivers of plastisphere microbial community composition, while only 11% of samples showed elevated Vibrio pathogen levels compared to surrounding water.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastisphere Community Assemblage in Freshwater

This review synthesizes research on plastisphere communities in freshwater environments, where micro-, nano-, and macroplastic particles serve as artificial microhabitats for microbial colonization. The authors found that freshwater plastisphere communities differ markedly from those on natural substrates and pose elevated risks by harboring pathogens, antibiotic-resistant genes, and toxic pollutants that can enter organisms through plastic ingestion.

2025
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
Article Tier 2

Impact de la pollution plastique sur les communautés microbiennes de rivière

This study investigates how plastic pollution affects microbial communities in rivers, focusing on the 'plastisphere' — the distinct biofilm communities that form on plastic surfaces in aquatic environments. Plastics not only carry unique microbial assemblages but may also harbor potentially harmful microorganisms, raising concerns for aquatic ecosystem health.

2023 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

In Situ Investigation of Plastic-Associated Bacterial Communities in a Freshwater Lake of Hungary

Researchers investigated plastic-associated bacterial communities on microplastic surfaces in a Hungarian freshwater lake, finding that the plastisphere harbored distinct microbial communities compared to surrounding water, including potential pathogens and plastic-degrading bacteria.

2021 Water Air & Soil Pollution 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial colonization of microplastic particles in aquatic systems

This review examined how microplastic particles become colonized by diverse microbial communities in aquatic environments, forming the so-called plastisphere. The research highlights that microplastics create novel ecological niches and may facilitate the spread of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in freshwater and marine systems.

2018 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Associated Biofilms: A Comparison of Freshwater and Marine Environments

This review compared microplastic-associated biofilm communities in freshwater and marine environments, examining how plastic type, ecosystem, and environmental conditions shape the microbial communities that colonize plastic surfaces. Understanding these "plastisphere" communities is important because they may include pathogens and can affect the fate and transport of plastic particles.

2017 ˜The œhandbook of environmental chemistry 188 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinct microbial communities in the microplastisphere of inland wetlands: Diversity, composition, co-occurrence networks, and functions.

Researchers collected samples from different inland wetland types to characterize the microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces (the microplastisphere), finding distinct bacterial and fungal communities compared to surrounding soils. Community composition varied by wetland type and plastic surface, highlighting the ecological diversity of plastic-associated microbiomes in freshwater habitats.

2025 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Ecology of the plastisphere

This review explores the plastisphere, the diverse microbial community that colonizes plastic debris in the ocean, which now spans multiple biomes on Earth. Researchers examine how microplastics serve as novel substrates for microbial colonization and may facilitate the dispersal of microorganisms, including potentially harmful species, across aquatic ecosystems. The study highlights key questions about whether plastics harbor a unique core microbial community distinct from natural surfaces.

2020 Nature Reviews Microbiology 1179 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamics and implications of biofilm formation and community succession on floating marine plastic debris

Researchers examined how biofilms form on plastic debris in aquatic environments and how the resulting microbial communities evolve over time, finding that the plastisphere hosts distinct microbial assemblages including potential pathogens. The study has implications for understanding plastic debris as a vector for microbial dispersal.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastisphere as a unique metabolic hotspot in river water: Impact of plastic substrate biodegradability

A study of river water found that microplastic surfaces — even from tiny 100-micrometer particles — host distinct microbial communities called plastispheres that function as metabolic hotspots, with richer carbon and nitrogen cycling activity than the surrounding water. The biodegradability of the plastic substrate influenced which microbes colonized it and how they interacted, with biodegradable plastics supporting different communities than conventional plastics. This matters because plastisphere microbes can include potential pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and they alter the ecological function of freshwater environments.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПОВЕДЕНИЯ МИКРОПЛАТИКА В ВОДНОЙ СРЕДЕ: ПЛАСТИСФЕРА - НОВАЯ МОРСКАЯ ЭКОСИСТЕМА

This review examines the behavior of microplastics in aquatic environments with a focus on the Plastisphere - microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces that form a novel marine ecosystem. The review synthesizes information on Plastisphere formation mechanisms, distribution in water, risks associated with pathogen and pollutant transport, and potential applications for removing microplastics from contaminated water.

2025 Проблемы окружающей среды и природных ресурсов
Article Tier 2

Aquatic Biofilms and Plastisphere

This review examined aquatic biofilms and plastisphere communities that colonize microplastic surfaces, discussing how plastic substrates select for distinct microbial assemblages and may harbor pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological Roles and Shared Microbes Differentiate the Plastisphere from Natural Particle-Associated Microbiomes in Urban Rivers

Researchers compared the microbial communities living on microplastics versus natural particles in ten urban river systems. While the two communities shared many similarities, the microplastic-associated community, known as the plastisphere, harbored distinct bacteria with specialized abilities to break down complex carbon compounds. The study suggests that microplastics in rivers create unique microbial habitats that may influence nutrient cycling and pollutant degradation differently than natural particles.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Environmental Microbiome 107 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

Viral diversity and potential environmental risk in microplastic at watershed scale: Evidence from metagenomic analysis of plastisphere

Metagenomic analysis of plastisphere communities on microplastics collected from five freshwater sites revealed diverse viral communities including phages and potential animal pathogens, with plastic-associated viromes differing from those in surrounding water. The study identifies microplastics as previously overlooked carriers of viral diversity and potential environmental health risks in aquatic ecosystems.

2022 Environment International 74 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic biofilm in fresh- and wastewater as a function of microparticle type and size class

Researchers compared the biofilm communities that form on microplastics of different types and sizes in both freshwater and wastewater, finding that biofilm composition was influenced by particle type, size, and water source. These findings advance understanding of the plastisphere — the microbial community unique to plastic surfaces — and its potential role in spreading microorganism-associated risks.

2019 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology 184 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 iMeta 68 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Aquatic Environments

This review summarizes the current state of microplastic research in aquatic environments, covering the plastisphere — the microbial community that colonizes plastic surfaces — and the ways microplastics interact with other aquatic organisms. The paper highlights microplastics as a growing ecological concern that affects food webs and ecosystem processes.

2022 Microplastics 4 citations