Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Study of Heavy Metals and Microbial Communities in Contaminated Sediments Along an Urban Estuary

Researchers studied heavy metal contamination and microbial community composition in estuarine sediments along an urban waterway, finding that urbanization-driven metal accumulation significantly altered microbial diversity and community structure.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Functional responses of key marine bacteria to environmental change – toward genetic counselling for coastal waters

This review examined the functional responses of key marine bacteria to environmental stressors including nutrient pollution and chemical contamination in coastal ecosystems, arguing that bacteria are overlooked both as indicators and mediators of ecosystem health. The authors call for incorporating bacterial functional metrics into marine ecosystem monitoring and management frameworks.

2022 Frontiers in Microbiology 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Genomic and proteomic profiles of biofilms on microplastics are decoupled from artificial surface properties

Genomic and proteomic analysis of biofilms on marine microplastics showed that community composition and functional profiles were primarily shaped by environmental conditions rather than the specific surface properties of the plastic substrate.

2021 Environmental Microbiology 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Metal leaching from plastics in the marine environment: An ignored role of biofilm.

Researchers investigated how biofilms on marine plastics influence metal leaching, finding that microbial colonization significantly alters the release rates of metal additives from common polymers, representing a previously underappreciated pathway for heavy metal transfer from plastic debris into marine ecosystems.

2023 Environment international
Article Tier 2

[Community Structure and Microbial Function Responses of Biofilms Colonizing on Microplastics with Vertical Distribution in Urban Water].

Biofilm communities colonizing microplastics at different depths in urban water bodies were found to differ significantly in community structure and metabolic function. Microplastics at different depths were exposed to varying light, oxygen, and nutrient conditions, which shaped the attached microbial communities. Understanding how microplastics host distinct microbial assemblages is important for assessing their role as vectors for pathogens and chemical pollutants.

2022 PubMed 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The microbial community of rust layer biofilm was driven by seawater microbial community

This study found that the microbial community colonizing rust layers on submerged metal structures is largely shaped by surrounding seawater microbes. Understanding how marine bacteria colonize surfaces is relevant to the plastisphere — the distinct microbial communities that form on floating microplastic particles in the ocean.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Seawater copper content controls biofilm bioaccumulation and microbial community on microplastics

Researchers found that seawater copper concentration controls both the microbial community composition of biofilms on microplastics and the amount of copper bioaccumulated in those biofilms, demonstrating that metal pollution levels in seawater influence the ecological and chemical behavior of the 'plastisphere'.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Unique Bacterial Community of the Biofilm on Microplastics in Coastal Water

Researchers compared bacterial communities forming biofilms on steel, silica, and PVC microplastic surfaces in coastal seawater and found that biofilm composition differed by material type. This shows that the type of plastic surface influences which microbial communities colonize it, with implications for how microplastics may spread specific bacteria.

2020 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinct community structure and microbial functions of biofilms colonizing microplastics

Biofilm communities were established on polyethylene, polypropylene, cobblestone, and wood substrates over 21 days under controlled conditions and compared by 16S rRNA sequencing, finding that plastic substrates harbored distinct microbial communities and functional profiles compared to natural materials. The study demonstrates that microplastics in freshwater environments provide a selective niche that enriches for distinct microbial taxa and metabolic functions.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 583 citations
Article Tier 2

[Applications of biofilm in environmental pollution control and the related challenges].

This review examines biofilm structure, formation mechanisms, and community composition as applied to environmental pollution control, covering removal of heavy metals and organic pollutants, and discussing emerging challenges including plastisphere dynamics, antibiotic resistance gene spread, and pathogen accumulation in biofilm-pollutant interactions.

2024 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities on microplastic‐associated biofilms in marine and freshwater environments

Researchers analyzed microbial biofilm communities on microplastic surfaces in both marine and freshwater environments, finding that plastic-associated biofilms harbor distinct prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities with potential roles in plastic biodegradation.

2024 Engineering in Life Sciences 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Can Microplastic Pollution Change Important Aquatic Bacterial Communities?

Microplastics in coastal sediments can change the composition of important bacterial communities that cycle nutrients and maintain ecosystem health. Microplastic-associated bacteria differ significantly from natural sediment bacteria, with potential consequences for the chemical processes these communities perform.

2021 Frontiers for Young Minds
Article Tier 2

Effects of Nanoplastics on Freshwater Biofilm Microbial Metabolic Functions as Determined by BIOLOG ECO Microplates

Nanoplastics were found to significantly alter the metabolic functions of freshwater biofilm microbial communities, as measured by BIOLOG ECO microplates, with effects varying by concentration and polymer type. The disruption of biofilm microbial metabolism by nanoplastics could have cascading effects on nutrient cycling in freshwater ecosystems.

2019 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption behavior of Pb(II) onto polyvinyl chloride microplastics affects the formation and ecological functions of microbial biofilms

Researchers found that lead sorption onto PVC microplastics significantly affected microbial biofilm formation and ecological functions, with lead-enriched microplastics altering biofilm community structure and metabolic activities in aquatic systems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial community structure and co-occurrence network stability in seawater and microplastic biofilms under prometryn pollution in marine ecosystems

Researchers studied how the herbicide prometryn affects microbial communities in both seawater and on microplastic surfaces in marine environments. They found that prometryn pollution significantly altered the structure and stability of microbial networks growing on microplastics compared to those in surrounding water. The findings suggest that the combination of chemical pollutants and microplastics creates distinct ecological impacts on marine microbial ecosystems.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in the bacterial communities in chromium-contaminated soils

Researchers examined how chromium(VI) contamination alters bacterial community structure in soils, providing insights into the ecotoxicological effects of metal exposure on soil microorganisms and implications for assessing pollution risk.

2023 Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm facilitates metal accumulation onto microplastics in estuarine waters

This study demonstrated that biofilm colonization on microplastics in estuarine waters significantly enhanced their sorption of metals such as copper and zinc, suggesting biofouling changes the contaminant-carrying capacity of plastic debris.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 241 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of metals and polymer types on the development of biofilm on microplastic surface

Researchers examined biofilm development on three polymer types (PVC, polystyrene, and polyethylene) in the presence of three heavy metals (lead, chromium, and cadmium) to determine how metal contamination influences the formation and composition of plastisphere communities. The study assessed whether metal-microplastic co-contamination alters the structure of microbial biofilms that colonize plastic surfaces in aquatic environments.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the structure and function of bacterial communities in sediments of a freshwater lake

Researchers examined how microplastics alter the structure and function of bacterial communities in sediments, finding that plastic exposure shifted community composition and reduced overall diversity compared to plastic-free controls. Functional analysis showed impaired denitrification and organic matter decomposition in microplastic-contaminated sediments, indicating ecosystem-level consequences for nutrient cycling.

2024 Chemosphere 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Colonization characteristics and surface effects of microplastic biofilms: Implications for environmental behavior of typical pollutants

This review examines how bacteria colonize microplastic surfaces in water, forming biofilms that change how the plastics behave in the environment. These biofilms alter the surface properties of microplastics and affect how they absorb and transport heavy metals and other pollutants. Understanding biofilm formation on microplastics is important because it can make the particles more dangerous by concentrating toxic substances that could eventually enter the food chain.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 65 citations