Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Micro‐by‐micro interactions: How microorganisms influence the fate of marine microplastics

This review examines how microorganisms interact with microplastics in marine environments, including biofilm formation, biodegradation, and effects on plastic transport and sedimentation. Researchers found that microbial colonization of plastics can influence how microplastics move through the water column and enter food webs. The study highlights that understanding these micro-by-micro interactions is essential for assessing the environmental fate of microplastic pollution.

2020 Limnology and Oceanography Letters 283 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms of interaction between microplastics and microorganisms in the environment

This review summarized the sources, environmental distribution, and hazards of microplastics, focusing on how MPs influence both individual microorganisms and microbial communities in the environment. Microbial degradation pathways and methods were analyzed, and future research directions proposed to better understand the environmental behavior of microplastics and their interactions with microorganisms.

2024 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution: Understanding microbial degradation and strategies for pollutant reduction

This review explores how microplastics form, spread through ecosystems, and affect microbial communities, then examines how certain microorganisms can actually break down these plastic particles. Understanding microbial degradation of microplastics could lead to biotechnology solutions that reduce the amount of plastic pollution entering the food chain and ultimately the human body.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 150 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
Article Tier 2

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.

2014 Microbiology Australia 29 citations
Article Tier 2

The Importance of Biofilms to the Fate and Effects of Microplastics

This review examines how biofilms — communities of microorganisms that form on microplastic surfaces — affect the fate and ecological effects of plastic pollution. Biofilm formation alters how microplastics are transported, ingested, and degraded in the environment, and the plastisphere can harbor pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may pose risks to human health.

2020 IntechOpen eBooks 7 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbiological perspectives on the effects of microplastics on the aquatic environment

This review examines how microplastics interact with microorganisms in aquatic environments, highlighting risks to microbial communities and the potential for microplastics to disrupt ecosystem functions. Microplastics may alter microbial diversity and promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

2019 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Microbes in Microplastic Removal and Its Effect on Human Health

This review examines the role of microbes in microplastic removal from environmental matrices and food systems, covering both degradation pathways and the health implications of microplastic-microbiome interactions for humans and other organisms.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microbial degradation and other environmental aspects of microplastics/plastics

This review covers microbial colonization and degradation of microplastics, as well as other environmental processes affecting microplastic fate, and summarizes emerging methods for microplastic removal and environmental remediation.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 794 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Life on the Surface of Microplastics in Natural Waters

Researchers reviewed how microorganisms colonize the surface of microplastic particles floating in natural waters, forming biofilms that can include potentially harmful bacteria. These biofilm-coated microplastics concentrate near the water-air interface and are more readily consumed by aquatic animals than bare plastic particles. The study highlights that understanding microbial life on microplastics is essential for assessing their environmental and public health impacts.

2021 Applied Sciences 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the environment: Interactions with microbes and chemical contaminants

This review covers what is known about microplastic interactions with microbes and co-occurring chemical contaminants in the environment, examining how biofilms on microplastics alter pollutant transport and the ecological consequences for soil, water, and atmospheric systems.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 417 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine Microbial Assemblages on Microplastics: Diversity, Adaptation, and Role in Degradation

This review examines microbial communities that colonize microplastics in the ocean, collectively known as the plastisphere. Researchers found that these biofilms differ significantly from those on natural surfaces and may include pathogenic bacteria and species capable of partially degrading plastics. The study highlights both the ecological risks of microplastics as vectors for harmful microbes and the potential for harnessing plastic-degrading organisms.

2019 Annual Review of Marine Science 434 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm formation and its implications on the properties and fate of microplastics in aquatic environments: A review

Researchers reviewed how microplastics in water attract and support communities of bacteria and other microorganisms that form biofilms — living coatings that alter the plastic particles' movement, help them carry pathogens, and affect how toxic chemicals attached to the plastic are absorbed by living things. Understanding this "plastisphere" ecosystem is critical for predicting where microplastics go and how harmful they become.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 219 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Biofilms in the Degradation of Microplastics

This review examines the role of microbial biofilms in degrading microplastics, presenting insights into how microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces may contribute to the breakdown of microplastic particles in aquatic and terrestrial environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

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.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 1318 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions Between Microplastics and Heavy Metals in Aquatic Environments: A Review

This review examines how microplastics interact with heavy metals in water, with a particular focus on the role that microorganisms play in driving these interactions. Bacteria that colonize microplastic surfaces can change how metals bind to and release from the particles, potentially increasing their toxicity. The combined threat of microplastics and heavy metals to aquatic ecosystems and human health through seafood consumption is a growing concern that needs more research.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 271 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological Impacts and Microbial-Mediated Degradation Processes of Microplastics

This review explores both the harmful effects of microplastics on living organisms and the potential of microorganisms to break them down. Researchers summarize how microplastics accumulate through food chains from aquatic environments to humans, posing risks to food safety. The study highlights microbial degradation as a promising sustainable alternative to conventional chemical and physical methods for addressing plastic pollution.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Toxic and Radioactive Waste 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A review on microbial-biofilm mediated mechanisms in marine microplastics degradation

This review examines how microbial biofilms form on microplastics in marine environments and their potential role in degrading these persistent pollutants. Researchers found that plastic-associated biofilm communities are diverse and influenced by factors such as polymer type, particle size, and seasonal conditions. The study identifies knowledge gaps in understanding how bacterial and fungal communities on microplastics may contribute to their breakdown in ocean environments.

2025 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Critical review on unveiling the toxic and recalcitrant effects of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their degradation by microbes

This review provides a comprehensive look at how microplastics accumulate in aquatic ecosystems and their toxic effects on marine organisms throughout the food chain. Researchers also examine the potential of bacteria, fungi, and algae to break down microplastics through biodegradation, including advances in genetic engineering to enhance this process. The study underscores both the severity of microplastic pollution and the emerging biological strategies that could help address it.

2024 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Colonization in Marine Environments: Overview of Current Knowledge and Emerging Research Topics

This review examines how microorganisms colonize submerged surfaces in aquatic environments, with a focus on the factors shaping biofilm communities on microplastics. The authors discuss how the chemical and physical properties of plastic surfaces influence microbial attachment and community development compared to natural substrates.

2020 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 154 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Sources, Fates, Impacts and Microbial Degradation

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in marine environments, covering their sources, distribution, and impacts on ocean life. Researchers found that microplastics are ingested by marine organisms at all levels of the food chain, potentially affecting both wildlife health and human food safety. The study also explores the promising role of marine bacteria that can break down certain plastics as a potential solution to this pollution crisis.

2021 Toxics 221 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Associated Biofilms and Their Role in the Fate of Microplastics in Aquatic Environment

This review examines how microbial biofilms attached to microplastics in aquatic environments mediate the accumulation and transfer of chemical pollutants, exploring how the 'plastisphere' community influences the fate and ecotoxicological impact of microplastics and co-contaminants.

2025
Article Tier 2

The impact of microplastic-microbe interactions on animal health and biogeochemical cycles: A mini-review

This review examines the two-way interactions between microplastics and microorganisms in the environment. Researchers found that microplastics provide surfaces for bacteria to colonize and form biofilms, while some microbes can physically break down the plastics over time. The study highlights how these microplastic-microbe combinations can disrupt gut bacteria in animals and may affect broader biogeochemical cycles like carbon and nitrogen cycling.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 173 citations