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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microfouling communities from pelagic and benthic marine plastic debris sampled across Mediterranean coastal waters
ClearThe 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.
Community Composition and Seasonal Dynamics of Microplastic Biota in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Researchers described the seasonal dynamics and community composition of microplastic-associated microbial communities across different environments, finding that temperature and nutrient availability influenced plastisphere diversity. The study contributes to understanding how environmental conditions shape biofilm formation on plastic debris.
Marine biofouling organisms on beached, buoyant and benthic plastic debris in the Catalan Sea
Fouling communities colonizing beached, floating, and benthic plastic debris were examined in the Catalan Sea, revealing differences in community composition linked to plastic substrate location and environmental conditions. The study confirms that plastic debris acts as a dispersal vector for marine fouling organisms across different depth zones in the western Mediterranean.
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.
Microbial Communities on Plastic Polymers in the Mediterranean Sea
Researchers collected floating microplastics from a bay in the Mediterranean and analyzed their bacterial biofilm communities using 16S rRNA sequencing, finding that microbial communities on plastics were distinct from surrounding seawater and differed between polymer types.
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.
Dynamics of fouling of plastic waste fragments by microorganisms in the Gulf of Finland
Researchers studied how quickly microorganism communities (biofilms) develop on plastic waste fragments in the Gulf of Finland. The plasticosphere — the microbial community colonizing plastic surfaces — forms rapidly and has distinct characteristics from biofilms on natural materials, with potential ecological implications for how pollutants are transported in the marine environment.
Assessing the Plastisphere from Floating Plastics in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea, with Emphasis on Viruses
Researchers used DNA sequencing to characterize the plastisphere, the community of organisms colonizing floating plastics in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. The study revealed diverse microbial communities including bacteria, algae, and notably viruses, raising questions about how plastic-associated pathogen transport may affect marine ecosystem dynamics.
Community composition and seasonal dynamics of microplastic biota in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Scientists studied the microbial communities living on microplastics in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea across all four seasons over two years. They found that microplastics host a distinct and relatively stable community of bacteria and other organisms that differs from the surrounding seawater. This "plastisphere" ecosystem could serve as a vehicle for transporting potentially harmful microorganisms across ocean environments.
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.
Fouling assemblage of benthic plastic debris collected from Mersin Bay, NE Levantine coast of Turkey
Researchers collected and analyzed plastic debris and associated biofouling communities from Mersin Bay in the eastern Mediterranean, identifying nine plastic polymer types and 17 fouling species across six phyla, demonstrating that plastic debris in this heavily polluted region supports diverse biological communities comparable to natural hard substrates.
Spatial and seasonal variation in diversity and structure of microbial biofilms on marine plastics in Northern European waters
Researchers investigated how microbial biofilm communities on marine plastics vary by season, location, and plastic type in Northern European waters. The study found distinct spatial and seasonal patterns in plastisphere microbial communities on polyethylene terephthalate surfaces, providing insights into how plastic debris develops unique biological communities in marine environments.
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.
Harmful algae and pathogens on plastics in three mediterranean coastal lagoons
Researchers studied microplastics and macroplastic debris in three French Mediterranean coastal lagoons and found high-diversity biofilm communities including harmful algae and bacterial pathogens colonizing plastic surfaces, demonstrating that plastics can act as vectors for harmful microorganisms in sensitive coastal ecosystems.
Short‐term plastisphere colonization dynamics across six plastic types
Researchers studied the short-term colonization dynamics of microbial communities (plastisphere) forming on six plastic polymer types submerged in marine waters in South Australia, finding polymer-type-specific differences in prokaryotic community composition over four weeks.
Analysis of 16S rRNA amplicon data illuminates the major role of environment in determining the marine plastisphere microbial communities
Researchers analysed 16S rRNA amplicon data from marine plastisphere communities, finding that environmental factors play the dominant role in determining the microbial communities that colonise microplastic surfaces in marine ecosystems.
Spatial structure in the “Plastisphere”: Molecular resources for imaging microscopic communities on plastic marine debris
Researchers developed a CLASI-FISH confocal microscopy method using seven fluorophore-labelled phylogenetic probes to simultaneously visualise and identify microbial communities living on plastic marine debris in the 'Plastisphere.' The nested probe strategy targeting Bacteroidetes, Vibrionaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, and Alteromonadaceae was validated in pure cultures and applied to polyethylene biofilm colonisation experiments across three biogeographical regions.
Plastics in the North Atlantic garbage patch: A boat-microbe for hitchhikers and plastic degraders
Researchers examined the microbial communities living on plastic debris in the North Atlantic garbage patch, finding that plastics host unique communities of bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes distinct from surrounding seawater. The study highlights that floating plastics act as "microbial islands" that could facilitate the long-distance transport of potentially invasive or pathogenic organisms.
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.
New insights into the functioning and structure of the PE and PP plastispheres from the Mediterranean Sea
Researchers used metagenomics and metaproteomics to characterize the plastisphere — the microbial community colonizing marine plastic debris — on polyethylene and polypropylene fragments from the Mediterranean Sea, confirming it functions as a self-sufficient ecosystem while finding no evidence that hydrocarbon-degrading or pathogenic bacteria were actively breaking down the polymer or causing disease.
Dynamics and functions of microbial communities in the plastisphere in temperate coastal environments
Researchers explored microbial communities colonizing microplastics in coastal environments of Japan, comparing bacterial and fungal communities across different plastic types, water, sediment, and sand. The study found that while microbial communities varied by sample type and location rather than plastic shape, microplastics harbored hydrocarbon-degrading organisms as well as potential pathogens, highlighting the ecological significance of plastic-associated biofilms.
Microbial colonization of microplastics in the Caribbean Sea
Researchers incubated six common plastic polymers in Caribbean waters for six weeks and found that bacterial biofilm communities were not significantly shaped by plastic type or exposure time, but eukaryotic communities (including distinctive diatom assemblages) were influenced by both factors. This suggests that microplastics act as selective habitats for some microbial groups but not others, with implications for understanding how plastics alter ocean microbial ecology.
Epiplastic microhabitats for epibenthic organisms: a new inland water frontier for diatoms
Researchers studied how diatoms — microscopic single-celled algae — colonize plastic surfaces floating in a freshwater pond in Italy over nine months. The number of diatom species increased over time on both polystyrene and PET plastics, suggesting that plastic debris in inland waters creates new artificial habitats that could alter freshwater ecosystems.
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.