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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastic impacts archaeal abundance, microbial communities, and their network connectivity in a Sub-Saharan soil environment
ClearThe Terrestrial Plastisphere: Diversity and Polymer-Colonizing Potential of Plastic-Associated Microbial Communities in Soil
Soil-buried plastic debris harbored microbial communities clearly distinct from surrounding bulk soil and from aquatic plastisphere communities, with a core set of plastic-colonizing taxa including Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria detected across both polymer types tested, suggesting that terrestrial plastisphere colonization follows predictable ecological rules.
Microplastic polymer properties as deterministic factors driving terrestrial plastisphere microbiome assembly and succession in the field
Researchers incubated five common microplastic polymer types in landfill soil for 14 months and used 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize the plastisphere communities that assembled on each polymer. Polymer type was a significant deterministic factor in plastisphere microbiome composition, which differed from surrounding soil communities and varied over time.
Study of the Bacterial, Fungal, and Archaeal Communities Structures near the Bulgarian Antarctic Research Base “St. Kliment Ohridski” on Livingston Island, Antarctica
Not relevant to microplastics — this study characterizes bacterial, fungal, and archaeal microbial communities near a Bulgarian Antarctic research base using amplicon-based metagenomics, with no connection to microplastic pollution.
Investigation of Soil-Dwelling Bacterial Community Changes Induced by Microplastic Ex posure Using Amplicon Sequencing
Researchers analyzed soil bacterial community composition after microplastic contamination, finding that different polymer types caused distinct shifts in microbial diversity and functional groups, with implications for soil nutrient cycling and agricultural productivity.
Microbial communities associated with plastic mulch debris in agricultural soils
Researchers characterized microbial communities colonizing agricultural plastic mulch debris in soil using both culture-dependent and high-throughput sequencing methods. The plastic surfaces harbored distinct microbial communities compared to surrounding soil. Understanding which microbes colonize agricultural plastic debris is important for assessing biodegradation potential and the ecological role of the plastisphere in farmland.
Soil plastispheres as hotspots of antibiotic resistance genes and potential pathogens
Researchers investigated microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes on microplastic surfaces (the plastisphere) in soil environments. They found that plastispheres harbor enriched levels of potential pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes compared to surrounding soil, and that adding manure or increasing temperature and moisture further amplified these concerning microbial communities.
Deep-sea anthropogenic macrodebris harbours rich and diverse communities of bacteria and archaea
Diverse communities of bacteria and archaea were found living on anthropogenic debris (including plastics) in the deep sea, suggesting that human waste is creating new microbial habitats in the ocean's most remote regions. These plastic-associated microbial communities may spread non-native organisms to new deep-sea locations.
Plastisphere assemblages differ from the surrounding bacterial communities in transitional coastal environments
Researchers found that bacterial communities colonizing plastic particles (the plastisphere) in Portuguese estuarine and beach environments were significantly different from those in surrounding water and sediments, with plastic type and environmental conditions influencing microbial community composition.
Microbial Diversity of the Surface of Polypropylene and Low Density Polyethylene‐Based Materials (Plastisphere) From an Area Subjected to Intensive Agriculture
Researchers analyzed the microbial communities colonizing polypropylene and polyethylene plastic debris from an agricultural landfill site. They found that while overall bacterial diversity was similar between plastic surfaces and surrounding soil, the plastic-associated communities had distinct compositions with higher proportions of certain bacterial groups. The study suggests that these plastisphere communities may be actively degrading plastic additives and could harbor potential plastic-degrading organisms.
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.
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 Isolates in Microplastic-Polluted Soil
Researchers isolated and characterized microbial communities from microplastic-polluted soil, identifying bacteria capable of colonizing plastic surfaces and assessing their potential roles in plastic degradation and soil nutrient cycling.
Bacterial communities on soil microplastic at Guiyu, an E-Waste dismantling zone of China
Researchers characterized bacterial communities colonizing soil microplastics at Guiyu, China — a major e-waste dismantling zone — using high-throughput sequencing, finding that microplastic-associated bacterial communities differed significantly from surrounding soil communities and varied with the type of e-waste dismantling activity.
Deciphering the Mechanisms Shaping the Plastisphere Microbiota in Soil
Researchers characterized bacterial communities colonizing biodegradable and conventional microplastics in soil, finding that polymer type and biodegradability shaped distinct plastisphere communities, with deterministic processes playing a stronger role in community assembly than in surrounding soil.
Microplastics increase soil microbial network complexity and trigger diversity-driven community assembly
Researchers found that microplastics in soil increased bacterial network complexity and shifted microbial community assembly in a diversity-dependent manner, with high-density polyethylene causing more harm to plant growth than polystyrene or polylactic acid particles.
From rivers to marine environments: A constantly evolving microbial community within the plastisphere
Researchers sampled 107 plastic pieces across four aquatic ecosystems in southern France and found that the sampling location and polymer chemistry were the strongest drivers of plastisphere microbial community composition, while only 11% of samples showed elevated Vibrio pathogen levels compared to surrounding water.
High-throughput absolute quantification sequencing reveals the adaptive succession and assembly pattern of plastisphere communities in municipal sewer systems: Influence of environmental factors and microplastic polymer types
Microplastics in municipal sewer systems develop their own distinct microbial communities (the 'plastisphere') that are shaped both by the type of plastic polymer and by environmental conditions like temperature and nutrient levels. The study found that different plastic types selectively enriched different microbes, including potential pathogens, meaning sewers could be hotspots for microplastic-mediated spread of harmful bacteria into waterways. This research highlights an understudied but practically important dimension of urban microplastic contamination.
Plastisphere - a new habitat of microbial community: Composition, structure and ecological consequences
This review examines the plastisphere — microbial communities colonizing microplastics — covering the composition and structure of plastisphere microbiomes across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments and discussing ecological consequences including pathogen dispersal.
16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of the microbial community on microplastic samples from the North Atlantic and Great Pacific Garbage Patches
Researchers compared microbial communities living on microplastics collected from the North Atlantic and Great Pacific Garbage Patches, finding distinct plastisphere communities shaped by ocean region and plastic type. Understanding which microbes thrive on ocean plastic helps assess the risk of harmful or antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreading on plastic debris.
New insights on municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill plastisphere structure and function
Characterization of a large municipal solid waste landfill plastisphere found that plastic surfaces harbored more diverse bacterial communities than surrounding refuse, with abundant plastic-degrading genera including Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Paenibacillus detected in both environments.
The formation of specific bacterial communities contributes to the enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes in the soil plastisphere
Researchers used metagenomic approaches to study how microplastic surfaces in soil become enriched with antibiotic resistance genes through the formation of specific bacterial communities. The study tested three types of microplastics at two particle sizes and found that antibiotic resistance gene abundances significantly increased in the plastisphere compared to surrounding soil. Evidence indicates that microplastics in soil may serve as hotspots for the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Analysis of 16S rRNA amplicon data illuminates the major role of environment in determining the marine plastisphere microbial communities
By reanalyzing publicly available microbiome data from marine microplastics collected at multiple ocean locations, this study found that the surrounding water environment shapes the community of microbes living on plastic surfaces (the plastisphere) more strongly than the type of plastic polymer does. While both location and polymer type matter, once environmental differences were accounted for, polymer type alone had no statistically significant effect on microbial diversity. This is important because microplastics can carry and transport harmful microbes across vast ocean distances, and understanding what controls those communities helps assess the ecological risk.
Associations between bacterial communities and microplastics from surface seawater of the Northern Patagonian area of Chile
Researchers characterized bacterial communities on microplastics collected from three coastal sites with varying aquaculture activity in Chilean Patagonia, identifying 3,102 OTUs dominated by Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria, with communities differing from surrounding seawater at all sites. Despite site-specific variation, 222 bacterial OTUs were shared across all three locations, suggesting a core plastisphere community that persists across different anthropogenic conditions.
Soil pH has a stronger effect than arsenic content on shaping plastisphere bacterial communities in soil
Soil pH had a stronger influence than arsenic contamination on shaping the bacterial communities colonizing microplastic surfaces (plastisphere) in contaminated soils, highlighting pH as a key driver of plastisphere ecology.