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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Plastic as a Vector of Dispersion for Marine Species With Invasive Potential. A Review
ClearMarine plastic pollution as a vector for non-native species transport
This Spanish thesis reviewed the evidence that floating plastic debris acts as a vehicle for transporting non-native marine species to new regions, potentially facilitating biological invasions. Plastic debris in the ocean can carry entire communities of organisms over long distances, with significant ecological consequences.
Marine Litter as Habitat and Dispersal Vector
This review documents 387 taxa of organisms — including microbes, algae, and invertebrates — found rafting on floating marine litter across all major ocean regions, establishing anthropogenic debris as a significant new dispersal vector for marine species. Researchers discuss the ecological implications of litter-assisted rafting, including the potential spread of non-native and invasive species to new regions.
The biogeography of the Plastisphere: implications for policy
This review examined the biogeography of the "plastisphere" — the communities of microorganisms living on floating plastic debris — and discussed its implications for marine policy. Because plastic surfaces carry unique, potentially invasive microbial communities across ocean basins, the authors argue that plastic pollution represents a vector for biological invasions with policy significance.
Theories, Vectors, and Computer Models: Marine Invasion Science in the Anthropocene
This review covers how marine invasions occur through shipping, aquaculture, and other human vectors, and how they threaten biodiversity and economies. Floating plastic debris is identified as an emerging vector for marine invasive species, carrying organisms to new regions where they can disrupt native ecosystems.
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.
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.
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.
A new look at the potential role of marine plastic debris as a global vector of toxic benthic algae
Researchers examined marine plastic debris as a global vector for toxic benthic algae, finding that floating plastics provide colonization surfaces that may expand harmful algal distribution and intensify toxic blooms across ocean regions.
How Do They Do It? – Understanding the Success of Marine Invasive Species
This review examines the ecological strategies that allow marine invasive species to successfully establish in new environments, covering competitive ability, stress tolerance, and reproductive flexibility. Understanding invasion success in a changing ocean is relevant to microplastic research because plastic debris can serve as a transport vector for invasive species through hull fouling and plastic rafting.
Pathogens transported by plastic debris: does this vector pose a risk to aquatic organisms?
This review examined whether microplastics act as vectors for pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens in marine and freshwater ecosystems. Evidence indicates that diverse microorganisms including pathogens adhere to microplastic surfaces, and modeling suggested potential for long-range pathogen transport, though the scale of ecological and public health risk remains uncertain.
Plastics as vectors for pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic systems.
This review examined how plastics in aquatic systems act as vectors for pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes, summarizing attachment mechanisms, transport dynamics, and the implications for water quality and public health.
Microbial hitchhikers on marine plastic debris: Human exposure risks at bathing waters and beach environments.
This review examines how marine plastic debris serves as a habitat for microbial communities including potential pathogens, a phenomenon called the Plastisphere, and assesses the human health risks when plastic-associated microbes reach bathing waters and beaches. The authors conclude that plastic litter can amplify microbial hazards to public health in coastal recreation areas.
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.
The Importance of Biofilms on Microplastic Particles in Their Sinking Behavior and the Transfer of Invasive Organisms between Ecosystems
This review explores how biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces, known as the plastisphere, affects the transport and ecological impact of plastic particles in marine environments. Researchers found that biofilm colonization can cause microplastics to sink from the ocean surface, altering their distribution through the water column, while also providing a habitat that protects invasive microbial species. The study suggests that some plastisphere organisms with plastic-degrading abilities could potentially be harnessed for marine pollution cleanup strategies.
Marine 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.
Marine litter colonization: Methodological challenges and recommendations
This review identifies methodological challenges in studying marine litter colonization by invertebrates, including variability in experimental design, species identification methods, and colonization metrics, and provides recommendations to improve comparability across studies of plastic as a dispersal vector for potentially invasive species.
On the interaction of buoyant plastic debris and sea-surface layer organisms
Researchers reviewed how buoyant plastic debris in the ocean surface layer interacts with sea-surface organisms, finding that plastics provide surfaces for diverse marine life to colonize while simultaneously altering the behavior, buoyancy, and community structure of keystone organisms. These disruptions to surface ecosystem indicators could have cascading effects on marine biodiversity and ecosystem function.
Marine biofouling organisms on macro and microplastics
This thesis reviewed biofouling organisms — bacteria, algae, and invertebrates — that colonize both macro and microplastics in marine environments. Biofouling communities on plastic surfaces change the buoyancy and transport of plastic particles and can carry invasive species to new locations.
Extent and reproduction of coastal species on plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
Researchers found 37 coastal invertebrate taxa colonizing plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, many reproducing in the open ocean, demonstrating that plastic pollution enables coastal species to establish neopelagic communities far from shore.
Anthropogenic marine litter composition in coastal areas may be a predictor of potentially invasive rafting fauna
Researchers investigated whether the material composition of beached anthropogenic litter along the Asturian coastline in northern Spain could predict the diversity of rafting fauna attached to debris, using genetic barcoding and visual taxonomy to characterise attached biota across plastic types. Results showed that plastics — predominantly linked to fishing activity and household sources — were the dominant rafting vectors, and litter composition showed some predictive value for the frequency of certain rafting taxa.
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.
Potential impact of marine-derived plastisphere as a Vibrio carrier on marine ecosystems: Current status and future perspectives
This review examines how microplastics in the ocean serve as floating platforms for Vibrio bacteria, which are significant pathogens threatening aquaculture and marine ecosystem health. Researchers found that the so-called plastisphere, the microbial community that colonizes plastic surfaces, can enhance the survival and spread of these harmful bacteria. The study highlights a concerning link between plastic pollution and the potential amplification of waterborne disease risks.
Plastic Pollution Meets Biological Invasions: A Systematic Review of Emerging Interactions
This systematic review summarizes research on how plastic pollution and invasive species interact in ecosystems. Plastic debris can transport invasive organisms to new environments, compounding ecological damage and potentially affecting the safety of food sources that humans rely on.
Millimeter-Sized Marine Plastics: A New Pelagic Habitat for Microorganisms and Invertebrates
Scanning electron microscopy of small floating plastics from around Australia revealed diverse colonizing organisms including bacteria, diatoms, barnacle larvae, and bryozoans — some of which are potential invaders in non-native regions. The study demonstrates that millimeter-scale marine plastics function as long-distance transport rafts for diverse biota.