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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to How will marine plastic pollution affect bacterial primary producers?
ClearPlastic leachates impair growth and oxygen production in Prochlorococcus, the ocean’s most abundant photosynthetic bacteria
Researchers found that chemicals leaching from common plastic items — high-density polyethylene bags and PVC matting — severely impaired growth and photosynthesis in Prochlorococcus, the ocean's most abundant photosynthetic bacteria and a critical driver of global oxygen production. This suggests plastic pollution in the ocean could disrupt the very base of the marine food web.
Plastic leachates impair picophytoplankton and dramatically reshape the marine microbiome
Researchers found that chemicals leaching out of plastic debris can severely disrupt marine microbial communities, damaging tiny photosynthetic organisms (picophytoplankton) and dramatically reshaping the ocean microbiome. These findings reveal that plastic pollution harms ocean life not just physically but through chemical contamination, with potential consequences for the entire marine food web.
Plastic leachates promote marine protozoan growth
Researchers studied how chemicals leaching from ocean plastics affect the growth of a marine protozoan and its associated bacteria. They found that plastic leachates dramatically increased dissolved organic carbon in seawater, boosting protozoan growth by up to ten times compared to controls. The study suggests that plastic pollution may be altering the base of marine food webs by providing an unnatural carbon source that shifts microbial community dynamics.
Dangerous hitchhikers? Evidence for potentially pathogenic Vibrio spp. on microplastic particles
Researchers tested whether marine microplastics carry potentially pathogenic Vibrio bacteria, finding Vibrio species on microplastic surfaces in seawater, raising concerns about plastics as vehicles for transporting harmful bacteria in marine environments.
Plastic leachate exposure drives antibiotic resistance and virulence in marine bacterial communities
This study found that chemicals leaching from plastic waste in seawater can promote antibiotic resistance and virulence in marine bacteria, even without direct contact with the plastic surface. Bacteria exposed to plastic leachate showed increased resistance to multiple antibiotics and enhanced ability to cause disease. The findings suggest that the chemical pollution from degrading plastics may pose broader risks to ocean ecosystems and potentially human health than previously recognized.
Do microplastics dramatically shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization in marine environments?
Researchers exposed protozoan assemblages to a gradient of microplastic concentrations in marine environments to investigate whether MPs shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization patterns. The results provide insights into how MP pollution alters microbial community structure and the energy transfer roles of protozoa across trophic levels in marine ecosystems.
The threat of microplastics and microbial degradation potential; a current perspective
This review covers the growing threat of microplastics in marine environments, where they enter the food chain and can transfer to humans along with pathogenic organisms, causing various toxic effects. The paper also explores how bacteria and fungi found in ocean environments could be harnessed to biodegrade different types of plastics as a future strategy for reducing microplastic pollution.
Unlocking secrets of microbial ecotoxicology: recent achievements and future challenges
This review explores how microorganisms interact with environmental pollutants, including microplastics, covering how bacteria can break down pollutants but are also harmed by them. The authors highlight that microplastics create new surfaces in the environment where bacteria form communities, potentially spreading harmful species or antibiotic resistance. Understanding these microbial interactions is critical for developing nature-based solutions to reduce pollution and protect human health.
Microplastics alter the functioning of marine microbial ecosystems
Researchers used experimental mesocosms to investigate how microplastics affect the structure and functioning of marine microbial ecosystems. They found that microplastics indirectly altered marine productivity by shifting the composition of bacterial and phytoplankton communities. The study provides evidence that microplastic pollution can disrupt fundamental ecological processes in ocean ecosystems beyond effects on individual organisms.
Dissolved organic carbon leaching from plastics stimulates microbial activity in the ocean
Researchers discovered that ocean plastics continuously leach dissolved organic carbon into seawater — an estimated 23,600 metric tons per year globally — fueling the growth of bacteria at the base of the marine food web. Because plastic pollution is projected to increase tenfold in the coming decade, this plastic-derived carbon input could significantly alter microbial communities and ocean chemistry in ways not yet fully understood.
Do microplastics affect marine ecosystem productivity?
This study estimated the potential impact of microplastics on marine ecosystem productivity (algae and zooplankton growth) by synthesizing lab toxicity data. The analysis suggested that current environmental microplastic concentrations may reduce primary productivity in some ocean regions, with knock-on effects up the food chain.
Marine microbes in the Plastic Age
This review examines how marine microbes interact with plastic debris in the ocean, describing the physical threats of plastic ingestion and entanglement as well as chemical threats from plastic-associated toxins that can bioaccumulate through food webs. Researchers call for greater investigation into how plastic pollution alters microbial community composition, biodegradation potential, and the broader functioning of ocean ecosystems.
Plastic pollution and beyond: do microbes hold the key towards a sustainable solution to this global crisis?
Researchers investigated marine microplastic pollution along the Andaman Sea coastline to establish baseline data on plastic type and abundance, and reviewed the potential of microbial communities to degrade microplastics as part of a broader analysis of biological and bioengineering solutions to the global plastic pollution crisis.
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.
The microplastic menace: a critical review of its impact on marine photoautotrophs and their environment
This review examines how microplastics interact with marine macro- and microalgae, covering environmental prevalence, genetic responses to MP exposure, and mitigation strategies. It finds that annual introduction of 28.5 million tons of plastic into oceans threatens marine primary producers and indirectly affects marine food webs and human health through the consumption of contaminated seafood.
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.
Biomass formation and organic carbon migration potential of microplastics from a PET recycling plant: Implication of biostability
PET microplastics from a recycling plant promoted bacterial growth in freshwater, with particles smaller than 100 microns supporting up to 1.05 x 10^9 bacteria per gram and shifting microbial diversity by favoring Burkholderiaceae, highlighting pollution risks from the mechanical PET recycling industry.