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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Interaction of cyanobacteria with calcium facilitates the sedimentation of microplastics in a eutrophic reservoir
ClearBiocalcificationInduces the Preferential Settlingof Small Buoyant Microplastics in Freshwater
Researchers found that biocalcification processes involving Microcystis aeruginosa and calcium ions promote the preferential settling of small buoyant microplastics in freshwater, with incubation experiments revealing how algal-induced mineral precipitation accelerates vertical transport of particles that would otherwise remain suspended.
Biocalcification Induces the Preferential Settling of Small Buoyant Microplastics in Freshwater
This study examined how a common freshwater algae (Microcystis aeruginosa) promotes the sinking of buoyant microplastics through a process called biocalcification — where biological activity causes calcium carbonate crystals to form on the plastic surface, increasing its density. Smaller microplastics were more strongly affected than larger ones because they adsorb more of the algal secretions that serve as crystal-nucleation sites, and environmental weathering of plastics enhanced the effect further. This natural mechanism could significantly influence how quickly and where microplastics settle out of the water column in freshwater lakes.
Effects of biofilm colonization on the sinking of microplastics in three freshwater environments
A 44-day freshwater incubation experiment showed that biofilm colonization on PET, PP, and PVC microplastics promoted sinking in three Chinese water bodies, with biomass and chlorophyll levels varying by environment and influencing the rate of buoyancy change.
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.
Calcium carbonate deposits and microbial assemblages on microplastics in oligotrophic freshwaters
Researchers found that microplastics in oligotrophic (low-nutrient) freshwaters accumulated calcium carbonate coatings formed by microbial activity, which increased particle density and altered their environmental behavior. This coating process could change how microplastics settle or travel through water bodies, affecting where they concentrate in ecosystems.
Interaction of Cyanobacteria with Nanometer and Micron Sized Polystyrene Particles in Marine and Fresh Water
Marine and freshwater cyanobacteria formed aggregates with polystyrene nanoplastics held together by extracellular polymeric substances, causing the particles to sink, with larger and faster aggregation in saltwater. Microplastics produced different-shaped aggregates linked by a small number of particles, neither causing cell death, showing that cyanobacteria can alter nanoplastic fate and distribution in aquatic systems.
Ca(II) alleviates microplastic toxicity to Microcystis aeruginosa via cyanobacteria induced carbonate precipitation
Researchers found that calcium ions (Ca2+) at natural water concentrations mitigated the toxicity of polystyrene microplastics to Microcystis aeruginosa by promoting carbonate precipitation that coated the microplastic surface, reducing direct cellular contact and oxidative stress.
Sinking of microbial-associated microplastics in natural waters
Researchers investigated how microbial biofilm colonization of microplastics affects their buoyancy and sinking behavior in natural waters, finding that biological ballasting from attached microorganisms can significantly increase particle density and promote vertical transport toward sediments. The results suggest that biofouling is a key mechanism driving the removal of microplastics from surface waters.
Biofouling, metal sorption and aggregation are related to sinking of microplastics in a stratified reservoir
In a freshwater reservoir study, biofouling on microplastic surfaces did not cause polyethylene particles to sink, but a mixing event that brought iron-rich anoxic water to the surface triggered aggregation of PE particles with organic matter and iron minerals, causing them to sink. The study reveals that episodic environmental events, not just steady biofouling, can drive microplastic sedimentation.
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.
Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Fate and Potential Effects of Microplastic in the Aquatic Environment
Researchers reviewed how biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces affects the fate and potential ecological effects of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that biofilms alter particle buoyancy, surface chemistry, and interactions with organisms.
The role of benthic biofilms in trapping estuarine microplastics
Researchers investigated how benthic biofilms in estuarine environments capture and retain microplastics under flow conditions, finding that greater biofilm development increased MP trapping efficiency and that heavy metals co-adsorbed to MPs influenced biofilm retention behavior.
Cyanobacterial relative enrichment over diatoms: Differential responses of plankton to microplastic pollution in the Zhanghe River, Northern China
Researchers assessed microplastic pollution and its ecological impacts on plankton communities in the Zhanghe River, China, finding that fibrous polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyamide MPs increased from upstream to downstream and were significantly associated with cyanobacterial proliferation while inhibiting diatoms, with a synergistic interaction with total phosphorus potentially amplifying eutrophication risk.
Microplastics benefit bacteria colonization and induce microcystin degradation
Polystyrene microplastics in a microcosm experiment facilitated bacterial colonization and promoted the degradation of the cyanobacterial toxin microcystin, with the plastisphere community showing distinct metabolic activity compared to free-living bacteria. The study reveals that microplastic biofilms can unexpectedly accelerate detoxification of co-occurring harmful algal bloom toxins.
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.
Burial of microplastics in freshwater sediments facilitated by iron-organo flocs
Researchers found that iron-organo flocs in freshwater sediments facilitate the burial and long-term sequestration of microplastics by aggregating plastic particles with organic matter and iron minerals, identifying this aggregation mechanism as an important pathway controlling microplastic fate in lake sediments.
Suspended sediments mediate microplastic sedimentation in unidirectional flows
Researchers found that suspended sediments in water significantly increase microplastic sedimentation rates, with higher sediment concentrations driving greater downward transport of microplastics and creating differential settling patterns based on polymer type.
Biofilm growth on buoyant microplastics leads to changes in settling rates: Implications for microplastic retention in the Great Lakes
Researchers measured biofilm-induced density changes and sinking rates for buoyant polyethylene microplastics in Great Lakes water, finding that biofouling caused particles to sink within days to weeks, with implications for predicting where microplastics accumulate in large lake systems.
Interactions between cyanobacteria and emerging contaminants in aqueous environments
A review examined how cyanobacteria interact with emerging contaminants including microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that plastic surfaces can harbor cyanobacterial growth and influence toxin production. The interactions complicate pollution assessment and may amplify ecological risks in nutrient-rich waters.
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.
Rapid aggregation of biofilm-covered microplastics with marine biogenic particles
Researchers demonstrated that biofilm-covered microplastics rapidly aggregate with marine biogenic particles such as algal cells and fecal pellets, which accelerates their sinking from surface waters. The study helps explain why microplastic concentrations at the ocean surface are lower than expected — biofouling causes the particles to be transported to deeper waters and sediments faster than previously assumed.
Calcite carbonate sinks low-density plastic debris in open oceans
Researchers found that calcite precipitation, a natural biogeochemical process in the ocean, causes low-density plastic debris to sink by coating particles with mineral layers that increase their density. The finding identifies a previously unrecognized mechanism for removing buoyant plastics from the ocean surface.
Effects of biofouling on the sinking behavior of microplastics
Researchers studied how biofouling — the accumulation of microorganisms and organic matter on particle surfaces — alters the sinking behavior of microplastics, finding that biofouled particles sink faster and are more likely to reach seafloor sediments.
Influence of microplastics on nutrients and metal concentrations in river sediments
Researchers investigated how microplastics influence nutrient and metal concentrations in river sediments, finding that microplastics alter the distribution of pollutants through their capacity to adsorb contaminants and support biofilm formation on their hydrophobic surfaces.