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Kim Y, Choe S, Cho Y, Moon H, Shin H, Seo J, Myung J. Biodegradation of poly(butylene adipate terephthalate) and poly(vinyl alcohol) within aquatic pathway. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 953:176129. [PMID: 39255933 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2024] [Revised: 08/19/2024] [Accepted: 09/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the environmental fate of biodegradable plastics in aquatic systems is crucial, given the alarming amount of plastic waste and microplastic particles transported through aquatic pathways. In particular, there is a need to analyze the biodegradation of commercialized biodegradable plastics upon release from wastewater treatment plants into natural aquatic systems. This study investigates the biodegradation behaviors of poly(butylene adipate terephthalate) (PBAT) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in wastewater, freshwater, and seawater. Biodegradation of PBAT and PVA assessed through biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) experiments and microcosm tests revealed that the type of aquatic system governs the biodegradation behaviors of each plastic, with the highest biodegradation rate achieved in wastewater for both PBAT and PVA (25.6 and 32.2 % in 30 d, respectively). Plastic release pathway from wastewater into other aquatic systems simulated by sequential incubation in different microcosms suggested that PBAT exposed to wastewater and freshwater before reaching seawater was more prone to degradation than when directly exposed to seawater. On the other hand, PVA displayed comparable biodegradation rate regardless of whether it was directly exposed to seawater or had passed through other environments beforehand. Metagenome amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed distinct community shifts dependent on the type of plastics in changing environments along the simulated aquatic pathway. Several bacterial species putatively implicated in the biodegradation of PBAT and PVA are discussed. Our findings underscore the significant influence of pollution routes on the biodegradation of PBAT and PVA, highlighting the potential for wastewater treatment to facilitate rapid degradation compared to direct exposure to pristine aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youngju Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Shinhyeong Choe
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Yongjun Cho
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hoseong Moon
- Graduate School of Green Growth and Sustainability, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hojun Shin
- Department of Packaging and Logistics, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Republic of Korea
| | - Jongchul Seo
- Department of Packaging and Logistics, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaewook Myung
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; Graduate School of Green Growth and Sustainability, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
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Jiang Y, Niu S, Wu J. The role of algae in regulating the fate of microplastics: A review for processes, mechanisms, and influencing factors. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 949:175227. [PMID: 39098419 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
As an important emerging pollutant, the fate of microplastics (MPs) in ecosystems is of growing global concern. In addition to hydrodynamics and animals, algae can also affect the transport of MPs in aquatic environments, which could potentially remove MPs from the water column. Although researchers have conducted many studies on the sink of MPs regulated by algae in both marine and freshwater environments, there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding coupled with the increasingly scattered study contents and findings. This review aims to provide a systematic discussion of the processes, mechanisms, and influencing factors, which are coupled with the sink of MPs changes by algae. The main processes identified include retention, flocculation, deposition, and degradation. The retention of MPs is achieved by adhesion of MPs to algae or embedment/encrustation of MPs within the epibiont matrix of algae, thereby preventing MPs from migrating with water currents. The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and enzymes produced by algal metabolic activities can lead not only to the formation of aggregates containing MPs but also to the biodegradation of MPs. The processes that algae alter the fate of MPs in aquatic environments are very complex and can be influenced by various factors such as algal attributes, microplastic characteristics and environmental conditions. This review provides insights into recent advances in the fate of aquatic MPs and highlights the need for further research on MPs-algae interactions, potentially shortening the knowledge gap in the sink of MPs in aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Jiang
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, People's Republic of China
| | - Siping Niu
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jing Wu
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Environment, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, People's Republic of China
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3
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Zeghal E, Vaksmaa A, van Bleijswijk J, Niemann H. Environmental factors control microbial colonization of plastics in the North Sea. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 208:116964. [PMID: 39342912 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 09/07/2024] [Indexed: 10/01/2024]
Abstract
Large quantities of plastic enter the oceans each year providing extensive attachment surfaces for marine microbes yet understanding their interactions and colonization of plastic debris remains limited. We investigated microbial colonization of various plastic types (polyethylene, polystyrene, polyethylene-terephthalate, and nylon) in ex-situ incubation experiments. Plastic films, both UV-pretreated and untreated, were exposed to seawater from a coastal and an offshore location in the North Sea. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was employed to assess microbial community structures after 5, 10, 30, and 45 days of incubation. Our findings show the significant influence of time, seawater origin and plastic type on microbial community succession. We also identified several genera associated with hydrocarbon or plastic degradation potential as well as genera selecting for specific plastics such as Ketobacter and Microbacterium. Our results highlight potential role of microorganisms in plastic biodegradation and support the idea that microbial colonizers on marine plastics debris seemingly select distinct substrate types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emna Zeghal
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, the Netherlands.
| | - Annika Vaksmaa
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, the Netherlands
| | - Judith van Bleijswijk
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, the Netherlands
| | - Helge Niemann
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, the Netherlands; Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
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4
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Maday SDM, Kingsbury JM, Weaver L, Pantos O, Wallbank JA, Doake F, Masterton H, Hopkins M, Dunlop R, Gaw S, Theobald B, Risani R, Abbel R, Smith D, Handley KM, Lear G. Taxonomic variation, plastic degradation, and antibiotic resistance traits of plastisphere communities in the maturation pond of a wastewater treatment plant. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024:e0071524. [PMID: 39329490 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00715-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Wastewater treatment facilities can filter out some plastics before they reach the open environment, yet microplastics often persist throughout these systems. As they age, microplastics in wastewater may both leach and sorb pollutants and fragment to provide an increased surface area for bacterial attachment and conjugation, possibly impacting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) traits. Despite this, little is known about the effects of persistent plastic pollution on microbial functioning. To address this knowledge gap, we deployed five different artificially weathered plastic types and a glass control into the final maturation pond of a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Ōtautahi-Christchurch, Aotearoa/New Zealand. We sampled the plastic-associated biofilms (plastisphere) at 2, 6, 26, and 52 weeks, along with the ambient pond water, at three different depths (20, 40, and 60 cm from the pond water surface). We investigated the changes in plastisphere microbial diversity and functional potential through metagenomic sequencing. Bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA genes composition did not vary among plastic types and glass controls (P = 0.997) but varied among sampling times [permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), P = 0.001] and depths (PERMANOVA, P = 0.011). Overall, there was no polymer-substrate specificity evident in the total composition of genes (PERMANOVA, P = 0.67), but sampling time (PERMANOVA, P = 0.002) and depth were significant factors (PERMANOVA, P = 0.001). The plastisphere housed diverse AMR gene families, potentially influenced by biofilm-meditated conjugation. The plastisphere also harbored an increased abundance of genes associated with the biodegradation of nylon, or nylon-associated substances, including nylon oligomer-degrading enzymes and hydrolases.IMPORTANCEPlastic pollution is pervasive and ubiquitous. Occurrences of plastics causing entanglement or ingestion, the leaching of toxic additives and persistent organic pollutants from environmental plastics, and their consequences for marine macrofauna are widely reported. However, little is known about the effects of persistent plastic pollution on microbial functioning. Shotgun metagenomics sequencing provides us with the necessary tools to examine broad-scale community functioning to further investigate how plastics influence microbial communities. This study provides insight into the functional consequence of continued exposure to waste plastic by comparing the prokaryotic functional potential of biofilms on five types of plastic [linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), nylon-6, polyethylene terephthalate, polylactic acid, and oxygen-degradable LLDPE], glass, and ambient pond water over 12 months and at different depths (20, 40, and 60 cm) within a tertiary maturation pond of a municipal wastewater treatment plant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan D M Maday
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Joanne M Kingsbury
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Louise Weaver
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Olga Pantos
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Jessica A Wallbank
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Fraser Doake
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Hayden Masterton
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Maisie Hopkins
- School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Rosa Dunlop
- School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Sally Gaw
- School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | | | | | | | | | - Kim M Handley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Gavin Lear
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Monràs-Riera P, Avila C, Ballesté E. Plastisphere in an Antarctic environment: A microcosm approach. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 208:116961. [PMID: 39293370 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2024] [Revised: 09/05/2024] [Accepted: 09/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/20/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics are present even in remote regions like the Southern Ocean. Once in the water, they are rapidly colonised by marine microorganisms, forming the plastisphere. To address this issue in Antarctic waters, we conducted a microcosm experiment by incubating polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene microplastic pellets, and quartz for 33 days on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. We analysed plastic colonisation and plastisphere dynamics using scanning electron microscopy, flow cytometry, bacterial cultivation, qPCR, and 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Our results show rapid and consistent colonisation, although biomass formation was slightly slower than in other oceans, indicating unique environmental constraints. Time was the main factor influencing biofilm communities, while plastic polymer types had little effect. We observed a transition in microbial communities from early- to late-biofilm stages between days 12 and 19. Additionally, we described the bacterial plastisphere composition in this Antarctic environment, including the presence of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pere Monràs-Riera
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Conxita Avila
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Elisenda Ballesté
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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6
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Taveira I, Castro RO, Cypriano J, Santos HF, Abreu F, de Araújo FV. Retrieving the real microbial diversity in aquatic plastisphere. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 206:116719. [PMID: 39029147 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
Disposed plastics in oceans provide a substrate to which microbes can adhere and structure the biofilm, namely the plastisphere. In this study, we showed that the mesoplastic density-based separation, routinely used in quantification assays, is detrimental to studying the microbiome diversity and ecology as it underestimates the real microbial diversity within these samples. Based on SEM and microbiome observations, we propose that chemically fixing samples before density separation preserves cellular diversity (2.32-fold change) and richness (1.12-fold change) that would be naturally lost due to the current methodology. OTUs assigned to Gram-negative bacterial species are the most negatively affected by omitting fixation and polymer composition was not decisive in shifting microbiome composition. Considering our findings, the formaldehyde-fixation step should be incorporated into the current methodology described in most studies as this is crucial to promote a deeper understanding of the microbial community in this ecosystem and biofilm-adhered scattering through aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Taveira
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Rebeca O Castro
- Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rua São João Batista, s/n, 24220900 Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | - Jefferson Cypriano
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Henrique F Santos
- Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rua São João Batista, s/n, 24220900 Niterói, RJ, Brazil; Instituto Coral Vivo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Abreu
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Fábio V de Araújo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Marinha e Ambientes Costeiros, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro de São João Batista s/n, Centro, 24020-971 Niterói, RJ, Brazil; Departamento de Ciências, Faculdade de Formação de Professores da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Francisco Portela 1470, Patronato, 24435-005 São Gonçalo, RJ, Brazil
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7
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Cheung CKH, Not C. Degradation efficiency of biodegradable plastics in subtropical open-air and marine environments: Implications for plastic pollution. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 938:173397. [PMID: 38797407 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Bioplastics are increasingly used as a solution to tackle plastic pollution problems. However, their degradability in natural environments is currently under debate. To evaluate their degradation efficiencies, we conducted in-situ degradation experiments in an open-air and two marine environments in Hong Kong. Three groups of biodegradable plastic were tested, namely (1) additive-modified low-density polyethylene (LDPE), labelled as oxo-biodegradable or photodegradable plastics, (2) polylactic acid (PLA), and (3) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/starch blends. Most biodegradable plastics fail to completely degrade but remain visually present after six months of exposure. Only PLA is able to demonstrate 100 % disintegration in one to three months in marine settings, suggesting that subtropical marine environments may favor PLA degradation. Biodegradable plastics that are bio-based (PLA and PVA/Starch blends) show notably larger mass losses by 23-100 % than the fossil-based ones (modified-LDPE). Our results reveal higher degradation efficiencies of PLA and PVA/Cassava starch blend in marine than open-air settings (with mass losses larger by 50 %, and by 39-41 %, respectively), potentially via biodegradation and hydrolysis. Meanwhile, modified-LDPE and PVA/Corn starch blends in general show higher degradation efficiencies in open-air than marine settings (with mass losses larger by 2 %, and by 17-33 %, respectively), potentially via abiotic oxidation. Since all tested biodegradable plastics exhibit potential fragmentation signs, further investigation is needed to characterize the behaviours of the microplastics generated. The current labelling on biodegradable bags fails to provide comprehensive information regarding their actual environmental degradation behaviours, especially considering their fragmentation risk and limited degradation exhibited in this study. This highlights the imperative for improved messaging to ensure consumers are better informed about these products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coco Ka Hei Cheung
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong; The Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
| | - Christelle Not
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong; The Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
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8
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Yan X, Chio C, Li H, Zhu Y, Chen X, Qin W. Colonization characteristics and surface effects of microplastic biofilms: Implications for environmental behavior of typical pollutants. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 937:173141. [PMID: 38761927 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
This paper summarizes the colonization dynamics of biofilms on microplastics (MPs) surfaces in aquatic environments, encompassing bacterial characteristics, environmental factors affecting biofilm formation, and matrix types and characteristics. The interaction between biofilm and MPs was also discussed. Through summarizing recent literatures, it was found that MPs surfaces offer numerous benefits to microorganisms, including nutrient enrichment and enhanced resistance to environmental stress. Biofilm colonization changes the surface physical and chemical properties as well as the transport behavior of MPs. At the same time, biofilms also play an important role in the fragmentation and degradation of MPs. In addition, we also investigated the coexistence level, adsorption mechanism, enrichment, and transformation of MPs by environmental pollutants mediated by biofilms. Moreover, an interesting aspect about the colonization of biofilms was discussed. Biofilm colonization not only had a great effect on the accumulation of heavy metals by MPs, but also affects the interaction between particles and environmental pollutants, thereby changing their toxic effects and increasing the difficulty of MPs treatment. Consequently, further attention and research are warranted to delve into the internal mechanisms, environmental risks, and the control of the coexistence of MPs and biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiurong Yan
- College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi Province, China; Shanxi Laboratory for Yellow River, Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Chonlong Chio
- Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Hua Li
- College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi Province, China; Shanxi Laboratory for Yellow River, Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Yuen Zhu
- College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi Province, China; Shanxi Laboratory for Yellow River, Taiyuan 030006, Shanxi Province, China; Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada.
| | - Xuantong Chen
- Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Wensheng Qin
- Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada.
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Bairoliya S, Koh J, Cho ZT, Cao B. Phototrophs as the central components of the plastisphere microbiome in coastal environments. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 190:108901. [PMID: 39079334 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Upon entering the marine environment, plastics are colonized by a plethora of microorganisms to form a plastisphere, influencing the fate and transport of the plastic debris and the health of marine ecosystems. The assembly of marine plastisphere is generally believed to be dominated by stochastic processes. However, it remains elusive whether microbial interaction in the assembly of plastisphere microbial communities is conserved or not. We analyzed the plastisphere microbiomes of 137 plastic debris samples from intertidal zones at different geographical locations and habitats (seagrass, coral, mangrove, beach, and open ocean) and compared them with the surrounding sediment and seawater microbiomes. Microbial community structures of the plastisphere from different locations were more similar to each other but differed substantially from the surrounding sediment and water microbiomes, implying a common mechanism of plastisphere assembly. We used different machine learning algorithms (Multinomial Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine, Decision Trees, Random Forest, and Artificial Neural Networks) to classify plastic debris samples with high sensitivity based on the microbiome composition. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic phototrophic organisms such as green algae, diatoms, and cyanobacteria, were found to be enriched on the plastic surfaces. Network analysis revealed the central role of the phototrophic organisms in the formation and sustenance of the plastispheres. We found that phototrophs served as core members interacting strongly with heterotrophic organisms in marine plastisphere, irrespective of the sampling location, habitats, and polymer types. This would explain the stochastic assembly of the plastisphere along with conserved properties driven by the phototrophs in the surrounding environment. Our results highlight the importance of phototrophic organisms in shaping the marine plastisphere microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakcham Bairoliya
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Jonas Koh
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Zin Thida Cho
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Bin Cao
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
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10
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Ibrahim SS, Ionescu D, Grossart HP. Tapping into fungal potential: Biodegradation of plastic and rubber by potent Fungi. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 934:173188. [PMID: 38740197 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Plastic polymers are present in most aspects of routine daily life. Their increasing leakage into the environment poses a threat to environmental, animal, and human health. These polymers are often resistant to microbial degradation and are predicted to remain in the environment for tens to hundreds of years. Fungi have been shown to degrade complex polymers and are considered good candidates for bioremediation (biological pollutant reduction) of plastics. Therefore, we screened 18 selected fungal strains for their ability to degrade polyurethane (PU), polyethylene (PE), and tire rubber. As a proxy for plastic polymer mineralization, we quantified O2 consumption and CO2 production in an enclosed biodegradation system providing plastic as the sole carbon source. In contrast to most studies we demonstrated that the tested fungi attach to, and colonize the different plastic polymers without any pretreatment of the plastics and in the absence of sugars, which were suggested essential for priming the degradation process. Functional polymer groups identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and changes in fungal morphology as seen in light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used as indicators of fungal adaptation to growth on PU as a substrate. Thereby, SEM analysis revealed new morphological structures and deformation of the cell wall of several fungal strains when colonizing PU and utilizing this plastic polymer for cell growth. Strains of Fusarium, Penicillium, Botryotinia cinerea EN41, and Trichoderma demonstrated a high potential to degrade PU, rubber, and PE. Growing on PU, over 90 % of the O2 was consumed in <14 days with 300-500 ppm of CO2 generated in parallel. Our study highlights a high bioremediation potential of some fungal strains to efficiently degrade plastic polymers, largely dependent on plastic type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabreen S Ibrahim
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Stechlin 16775, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Potsdam 14469, Germany
| | - Danny Ionescu
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Stechlin 16775, Germany
| | - Hans-Peter Grossart
- Department of Plankton and Microbial Ecology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Stechlin 16775, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Potsdam 14469, Germany.
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11
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Qian Y, Huang L, Yan P, Wang X, Luo Y. Biofilms on Plastic Debris and the Microbiome. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1362. [PMID: 39065130 PMCID: PMC11278848 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12071362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Plastic pollution has become a global environmental problem, and the large number of microorganisms attached to plastic debris in the environment has become a hot topic due to their rapid response to pollutants and environmental changes. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing to investigate the microbial community structure of and explore the metagenome in the biofilm of two types of plastic debris, polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and compared them with a water sample collected at the sampling site. The phylum Proteobacteria dominated both the PET and PS samples, at 93.43% and 65.95%, respectively. The metagenome data indicated that the biofilm is enriched with a number of hydrocarbon (petroleum, microplastics, etc.) degrading genes. Our results show that the type of plastic determined the bacterial community structure of the biofilm, while the environment had relatively little effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqian Qian
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- Xiamen City Key Laboratory of Urban Sea Ecological Conservation and Restoration (USER), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Lingfeng Huang
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- Xiamen City Key Laboratory of Urban Sea Ecological Conservation and Restoration (USER), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Pei Yan
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Xinhong Wang
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Yuanrong Luo
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- Xiamen City Key Laboratory of Urban Sea Ecological Conservation and Restoration (USER), Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
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12
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Liu R, Xu H, Zhao S, Dong C, Li J, Wei G, Li G, Gong L, Yan P, Shao Z. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-degrading bacteria in the pelagic deep-sea sediments of the Pacific Ocean. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 352:124131. [PMID: 38734049 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic pollution is widely found in deep-sea sediments. Despite being an international environmental issue, it remains unclear whether PET can be degraded through bioremediation in the deep sea. Pelagic sediments obtained from 19 sites across a wide geographic range in the Pacific Ocean were used to screen for bacteria with PET degrading potential. Bacterial consortia that could grow on PET as the sole carbon and energy source were found in 10 of the 19 sites. These bacterial consortia showed PET removal rate of 1.8%-16.2% within two months, which was further confirmed by the decrease of carbonyl and aliphatic hydrocarbon groups using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared analysis (ATR-FTIR). Analysis of microbial diversity revealed that Alcanivorax and Pseudomonas were predominant in all 10 PET degrading consortia. Meanwhile, Thalassospira, Nitratireductor, Nocardioides, Muricauda, and Owenweeksia were also found to possess PET degradation potential. Metabolomic analysis showed that Alcanivorax sp. A02-7 and Pseudomonas sp. A09-2 could turn PET into mono-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (MHET) even in situ stimulation (40 MPa, 10 °C) conditions. These findings widen the currently knowledge of deep-sea PET biodegrading process with bacteria isolates and degrading mechanisms, and indicating that the marine environment is a source of biotechnologically promising bacterial isolates and enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renju Liu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen 361005, China; School of Environmental Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Haiming Xu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Sufang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Chunming Dong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Jianyang Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Guangshan Wei
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Guangyu Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Linfeng Gong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Peisheng Yan
- School of Environmental Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Zongze Shao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen 361005, China; School of Environmental Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), China.
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13
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Wang Y, Wang Y. Assessing microplastic contamination in soda beverages: A Multi-city, Multi-container laser Direct infrared spectroscopy study. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32805. [PMID: 39183882 PMCID: PMC11341343 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles, typically smaller than 5 mm in diameter, that result from the degradation of larger plastic products. Minuscule pollutants are increasingly being found in our food supply, especially in beverages, raising substantial health concerns. Ingested microplastics can release hazardous chemicals and act as carriers of pathogens, leading to adverse health effects upon chronic exposure. Despite the numerous studies on microplastic contamination, few have assessed the influence of geographic location and container type on the presence of microplastics in beverages. Our comprehensive study bridges this research gap by collecting a particular soda beverage from Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. and examining three different types of beverage containers: aluminum, glass, and plastic. Using direct laser infrared spectroscopy, we identified the types and quantified the numbers of microplastics. Our statistical analysis, which incorporated principal component analysis, investigated the distribution of microplastics in beverage samples, focusing on the impacts of geographic location and container material. Notably, our analysis revealed that the microplastic profiles were distinguishable in some cities, although not all. Conversely, no distinguishability was revealed between the different container types. This study sheds light on the complex patterns of microplastic contamination according to geographical location and packaging. Our findings contribute to a broader effort to understand and address the widespread challenges of microplastics, with implications for public health and ecosystem preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqi Wang
- Capital Normal University High School, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Yunxiang Wang
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
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14
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Philippe A, Salaun M, Quemener M, Noël C, Tallec K, Lacroix C, Coton E, Burgaud G. Colonization and Biodegradation Potential of Fungal Communities on Immersed Polystyrene vs. Biodegradable Plastics: A Time Series Study in a Marina Environment. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:428. [PMID: 38921415 PMCID: PMC11204492 DOI: 10.3390/jof10060428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Plastic pollution of the ocean is a major environmental threat. In this context, a better understanding of the microorganisms able to colonize and potentially degrade these pollutants is of interest. This study explores the colonization and biodegradation potential of fungal communities on foamed polystyrene and alternatives biodegradable plastics immersed in a marina environment over time, using the Brest marina (France) as a model site. The methodology involved a combination of high-throughput 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to investigate fungal taxa associated with plastics compared to the surrounding seawater, and a culture-dependent approach to isolate environmentally relevant fungi to further assess their capabilities to utilize polymers as carbon sources. Metabarcoding results highlighted the significant diversity of fungal communities associated with both foamed polystyrene and biodegradable plastics, revealing a dynamic colonization process influenced by the type of polymer and immersion time. Notably, the research suggests a potential for certain fungal species to utilize polymers as a carbon source, emphasizing the need for further exploration of fungal biodegradation potential and mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Philippe
- Univ Brest, INRAE, Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et Écologie Microbienne, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (A.P.); (M.S.); (M.Q.); (E.C.)
| | - Marie Salaun
- Univ Brest, INRAE, Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et Écologie Microbienne, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (A.P.); (M.S.); (M.Q.); (E.C.)
| | - Maxence Quemener
- Univ Brest, INRAE, Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et Écologie Microbienne, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (A.P.); (M.S.); (M.Q.); (E.C.)
| | - Cyril Noël
- Ifremer, IRSI, SeBiMER Service de Bioinformatique de l’Ifremer, F-29280 Plouzané, France;
| | - Kévin Tallec
- CEDRE Centre de Documentation, de Recherche et d’Expérimentations sur les Pollutions Accidentelles des Eaux, 715 Rue Alain Colas, CS 41836, CEDEX 2, 29218 Brest, France; (K.T.); (C.L.)
| | - Camille Lacroix
- CEDRE Centre de Documentation, de Recherche et d’Expérimentations sur les Pollutions Accidentelles des Eaux, 715 Rue Alain Colas, CS 41836, CEDEX 2, 29218 Brest, France; (K.T.); (C.L.)
| | - Emmanuel Coton
- Univ Brest, INRAE, Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et Écologie Microbienne, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (A.P.); (M.S.); (M.Q.); (E.C.)
| | - Gaëtan Burgaud
- Univ Brest, INRAE, Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et Écologie Microbienne, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (A.P.); (M.S.); (M.Q.); (E.C.)
- Institut Universitaire de France, France
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15
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Pearman WS, Duffy GA, Gemmell NJ, Morales SE, Fraser CI. Long-distance movement dynamics shape host microbiome richness and turnover. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2024; 100:fiae089. [PMID: 38857884 PMCID: PMC11212666 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiae089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Host-associated microbial communities are shaped by host migratory movements. These movements can have contrasting impacts on microbiota, and understanding such patterns can provide insight into the ecological processes that contribute to community diversity. Furthermore, long-distance movements to new environments are anticipated to occur with increasing frequency due to host distribution shifts resulting from climate change. Understanding how hosts transport their microbiota with them could be of importance when examining biological invasions. Although microbial community shifts are well-documented, the underlying mechanisms that lead to the restructuring of these communities remain relatively unexplored. Using literature and ecological simulations, we develop a framework to elucidate the major factors that lead to community change. We group host movements into two types-regular (repeated/cyclical migratory movements, as found in many birds and mammals) and irregular (stochastic/infrequent movements that do not occur on a cyclical basis, as found in many insects and plants). Ecological simulations and prior research suggest that movement type and frequency, alongside environmental exposure (e.g. internal/external microbiota) are key considerations for understanding movement-associated community changes. From our framework, we derive a series of testable hypotheses, and suggest means to test them, to facilitate future research into host movement and microbial community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- William S Pearman
- Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, 310 Castle St, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, 270 Great King Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, 720 Cumberland St, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Grant A Duffy
- Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, 310 Castle St, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Neil J Gemmell
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, 270 Great King Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Sergio E Morales
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, 720 Cumberland St, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Ceridwen I Fraser
- Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, 310 Castle St, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
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16
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de Vogel FA, Goudriaan M, Zettler ER, Niemann H, Eich A, Weber M, Lott C, Amaral-Zettler LA. Biodegradable plastics in Mediterranean coastal environments feature contrasting microbial succession. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 928:172288. [PMID: 38599394 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Plastic pollution of the ocean is a top environmental concern. Biodegradable plastics present a potential "solution" in combating the accumulation of plastic pollution, and their production is currently increasing. While these polymers will contribute to the future plastic marine debris budget, very little is known still about the behavior of biodegradable plastics in different natural environments. In this study, we molecularly profiled entire microbial communities on laboratory confirmed biodegradable polybutylene sebacate-co-terephthalate (PBSeT) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) films, and non-biodegradable conventional low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films that were incubated in situ in three different coastal environments in the Mediterranean Sea. Samples from a pelagic, benthic, and eulittoral habitat were taken at five timepoints during an incubation period of 22 months. We assessed the presence of potential biodegrading bacterial and fungal taxa and contrasted them against previously published in situ disintegration data of these polymers. Scanning electron microscopy imaging complemented our molecular data. Putative plastic degraders occurred in all environments, but there was no obvious "core" of shared plastic-specific microbes. While communities varied between polymers, the habitat predominantly selected for the underlying communities. Observed disintegration patterns did not necessarily match community patterns of putative plastic degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fons A de Vogel
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, the Netherlands
| | - Maaike Goudriaan
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, the Netherlands
| | - Erik R Zettler
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, the Netherlands
| | - Helge Niemann
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, the Netherlands; Faculty of Geosciences, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.115, 3508 TC Utrecht, the Netherlands; CAGE-Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, Department of Geosciences, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Andreas Eich
- HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH, D-77815 Bühl, Germany
| | - Miriam Weber
- HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH, D-77815 Bühl, Germany
| | | | - Linda A Amaral-Zettler
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, the Netherlands; Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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17
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Ballesté E, Liang H, Migliorato L, Sala‐Comorera L, Méndez J, Garcia‐Aljaro C. Exploring plastic biofilm formation and Escherichia coli colonisation in marine environments. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2024; 16:e13308. [PMID: 38924372 PMCID: PMC11196126 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Microorganisms, including potential pathogens, can colonise plastic surfaces in aquatic environments. This study investigates the colonisation of plastic pellets by Escherichia coli (E. coli) as a proxy for faecal pathogens in aquatic environments. Plastic pellets from a polluted beach were placed in seawater aquaria spiked with E. coli. Diverse bacteria, primarily from the Proteobacteria phylum, rapidly colonised the pellets within 24 h, with notable species known for plastic or hydrocarbon degradation. Over 26 days, biofilms formed on the plastic surfaces, reaching bacterial populations of up to 6.8·105 gene copies (gc) of the 16S rRNA mm-2. E. coli, was detected in the pellets for up to 7 days using culture methods, exhibiting varying attachment densities regardless of source or environmental factors. The study highlights plastic biofilms as reservoirs for E. coli, contributing to the survival and persistence of faecal bacteria in aquatic systems. These findings deepen our understanding of the risks associated with plastic pollution in marine settings, offering insights into the behaviour of faecal indicators and their implications for water quality assessments, while providing valuable information on potential pathogen dissemination within plastic-associated microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisenda Ballesté
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de BiologiaUniversitat de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Hongxia Liang
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de BiologiaUniversitat de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- College of Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring CenterBeijingChina
| | - Laura Migliorato
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de BiologiaUniversitat de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Laura Sala‐Comorera
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de BiologiaUniversitat de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Javier Méndez
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de BiologiaUniversitat de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Cristina Garcia‐Aljaro
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de BiologiaUniversitat de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
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18
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Wang T, Lu F, Yang C, Wang C, Liao Y, Mkuye R, Deng Y. Exploring changes in microplastic-associated bacterial communities with time, location, and polymer type in Liusha Bay, China. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 198:106525. [PMID: 38657370 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics have become a widespread concern within marine environments and are particularly evident in aquaculture regions that are characterized by plastic accumulation. This study employed 16 S rDNA sequencing to investigate the dynamic succession of microbial communities colonizing polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), and polyamide (PA) microplastics in seawater, when subjected to varying exposure durations in the Liusha Bay aquaculture region. Results revealed that the composition of microplastics microbial communities varied remarkably across geographical locations and exposure times. With an increase in exposure duration, both the diversity and richness of bacterial communities colonizing microplastics significantly increased, microbial communities show adaptations to the plastisphere. The type of microplastics had a significant effect on the community structure characteristicsof bacteria attached to their surfaces, with inconsistent trends in the relative abundance of different genera on different substrates. Notably, microplastic surfaces harbored a significant abundance of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, exemplified by Erythrobacter. These findings underscore the potential of microplastics as unique microbial niches. Meanwhile, long-term exposure experiments also offer the possibility of screening for plastic-degrading bacteria. In addition, the presence of the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio was detected in all microplastic samples, implying that microplastics could serve as carriers for pathogenic dissemination. This underscores the urgency of addressing the risk posed by the proliferation of harmful bacteria on microplastic surfaces. Overall, this study enhances our understanding of microbial community dynamics on microplastics under diverse conditions. It contributes to the broader comprehension of plastisphere microbial ecosystems in the marine environment, thereby addressing critical environmental implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Wang
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Fenglan Lu
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Chuangye Yang
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China; Guangdong Science and Innovation Center for Pearl Culture, Zhanjiang, 524088, China; Pearl Breeding and Processing Engineering Technology Research Centre of Guangdong Province, Zhanjiang, 524088, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture, Zhanjiang, 524088, China.
| | - Cheng Wang
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Yongshan Liao
- Pearl Research Institute, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Robert Mkuye
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Yuewen Deng
- Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China; Guangdong Science and Innovation Center for Pearl Culture, Zhanjiang, 524088, China; Pearl Breeding and Processing Engineering Technology Research Centre of Guangdong Province, Zhanjiang, 524088, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture, Zhanjiang, 524088, China; Guangdong Marine Ecology Early Warning and Monitoring Laboratory, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
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19
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Zandieh M, Griffiths E, Waldie A, Li S, Honek J, Rezanezhad F, Van Cappellen P, Liu J. Catalytic and biocatalytic degradation of microplastics. EXPLORATION (BEIJING, CHINA) 2024; 4:20230018. [PMID: 38939860 PMCID: PMC11189586 DOI: 10.1002/exp.20230018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a surge in annual plastic production, which has contributed to growing environmental challenges, particularly in the form of microplastics. Effective management of plastic and microplastic waste has become a critical concern, necessitating innovative strategies to address its impact on ecosystems and human health. In this context, catalytic degradation of microplastics emerges as a pivotal approach that holds significant promise for mitigating the persistent effects of plastic pollution. In this article, we critically explored the current state of catalytic degradation of microplastics and discussed the definition of degradation, characterization methods for degradation products, and the criteria for standard sample preparation. Moreover, the significance and effectiveness of various catalytic entities, including enzymes, transition metal ions (for the Fenton reaction), nanozymes, and microorganisms are summarized. Finally, a few key issues and future perspectives regarding the catalytic degradation of microplastics are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamad Zandieh
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Waterloo Institute for NanotechnologyUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Water InstituteUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Erin Griffiths
- Water InstituteUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Ecohydrology Research GroupDepartment of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Alexander Waldie
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Waterloo Institute for NanotechnologyUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Water InstituteUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Shuhuan Li
- Water InstituteUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Ecohydrology Research GroupDepartment of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - John Honek
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Waterloo Institute for NanotechnologyUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Water InstituteUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Fereidoun Rezanezhad
- Water InstituteUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Ecohydrology Research GroupDepartment of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Philippe Van Cappellen
- Water InstituteUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Ecohydrology Research GroupDepartment of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Juewen Liu
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Waterloo Institute for NanotechnologyUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
- Water InstituteUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
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20
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Roman VA, Crable BR, Wagner DN, Gryganskyi A, Zelik S, Cummings L, Hung CS, Nadeau LJ, Schratz L, Haridas S, Pangilinan J, Lipzen A, Na H, Yan M, Ng V, Grigoriev IV, Barlow D, Biffinger J, Kelley-Loughnane N, Crookes-Goodson WJ, Stamps B, Varaljay VA. Identification and recombinant expression of a cutinase from Papiliotrema laurentii that hydrolyzes natural and synthetic polyesters. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0169423. [PMID: 38624219 PMCID: PMC11205760 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01694-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Given the multitude of extracellular enzymes at their disposal, many of which are designed to degrade nature's polymers (lignin, cutin, cellulose, etc.), fungi are adept at targeting synthetic polyesters with similar chemical composition. Microbial-influenced deterioration of xenobiotic polymeric surfaces is an area of interest for material scientists as these are important for the conservation of the underlying structural materials. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of the Papiliotrema laurentii 5307AH (P. laurentii) cutinase, Plcut1. P. laurentii is basidiomycete yeast with the ability to disperse Impranil-DLN (Impranil), a colloidal polyester polyurethane, in agar plates. To test whether the fungal factor involved in this clearing was a secreted enzyme, we screened the ability of P. laurentii culture supernatants to disperse Impranil. Using size exclusion chromatography (SEC), we isolated fractions that contained Impranil-clearing activity. These fractions harbored a single ~22 kD band, which was excised and subjected to peptide sequencing. Homology searches using the peptide sequences identified, revealed that the protein Papla1 543643 (Plcut1) displays similarities to serine esterase and cutinase family of proteins. Biochemical assays using recombinant Plcut1 confirmed that this enzyme has the capability to hydrolyze Impranil, soluble esterase substrates, and apple cutin. Finally, we confirmed the presence of the Plcut1 in culture supernatants using a custom antibody that specifically recognizes this protein. The work shown here supports a major role for the Plcut1 in the fungal degradation of natural polyesters and xenobiotic polymer surfaces.IMPORTANCEFungi play a vital role in the execution of a broad range of biological processes that drive ecosystem function through production of a diverse arsenal of enzymes. However, the universal reactivity of these enzymes is a current problem for the built environment and the undesired degradation of polymeric materials in protective coatings. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a hydrolase from Papiliotrema laurentii 5307AH, an aircraft-derived fungal isolate found colonizing a biodeteriorated polymer-coated surface. We show that P. laurentii secretes a cutinase capable of hydrolyzing soluble esters as well as ester-based compounds forming solid surface coatings. These findings indicate that this fungus plays a significant role in biodeterioration through the production of a cutinase adept at degrading ester-based polymers, some of which form the backbone of protective surface coatings. The work shown here provides insights into the mechanisms employed by fungi to degrade xenobiotic polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor A. Roman
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Bryan R. Crable
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Dominique N. Wagner
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Andrii Gryganskyi
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Stephen Zelik
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Logan Cummings
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Chia S. Hung
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
| | - Lloyd J. Nadeau
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
| | - Lucas Schratz
- Chemistry Department, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Sajeet Haridas
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Jasmyn Pangilinan
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Anna Lipzen
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Hyunsoo Na
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Mi Yan
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Vivian Ng
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Igor V. Grigoriev
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | | | | | - Nancy Kelley-Loughnane
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Blake Stamps
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
| | - Vanessa A. Varaljay
- Soft Matter Materials Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA
- The Ohio State University, Infectious Diseases Institute, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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21
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Tigreros-Benavides P, Garzón-Rodríguez L, Herrera-Villarraga G, Ochoa-Mogollón J, Sarmiento-Sánchez C, Rodríguez-Vargas LH, Rozo-Torres G, Guayán-Ruíz P, Sanjuan-Muñoz A, Franco-Herrera A. Microplastics and plastisphere at surface waters in the Southwestern Caribbean sea. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 358:120745. [PMID: 38599094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Pollution generated by plastic waste has brought an environmental problem characterized by the omnipresence of smaller pieces of this material known as microplastics (MP). This issue was addresses by collecting samples with 250 μm pore size nets in two marine-coastal sectors of Southwestern Caribbean Sea during two contrasting seasons. Higher concentrations were found in rainy season than in dry season, reaching respectively 1.72 MP/m3 and 0.22 MP/m3. Within each sector, there were differences caused firstly by localities of higher concentrations of semi-closed water bodies localities during rainy season (Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta and La Caimanera marsh), and secondly by lower concentrations of localities with less influenced of flow rates during dry season (Salamanca and Isla Fuerte). Moreover, the lowest concentration in dry season corresponding to La Caimanera marsh reflects how the community environmental management might decrease MP pollution. In both sectors and seasons, the particles of 0.3 mm (0.3-1.4 mm) size class dominated over those of 1.4 mm (1.4-5.0 mm) (reaching each respectively 1.33 MP/m3 and 0.39 MP/m3), with a dominance of fibers, except in the rainy season in Magdalena, where they were films. Using the FTIR technique, polypropylene was identified as the most abundant polymer in both sectors. The composition of the assemblage of microorganisms attached to microplastics presented higher richness and differed from that of free-living planktonic microbes. The most abundant members of the plastisphere were proteobacteria whose major representation was the pathogenic genus Vibrio, while the cyanobacteria dominated in seawater samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Tigreros-Benavides
- Área de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Ingeniería, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Sede Santa Marta, Carrera 2 #11-68, Edificio Mundo Marino. El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia.
| | - Luis Garzón-Rodríguez
- Área de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Ingeniería, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Sede Santa Marta, Carrera 2 #11-68, Edificio Mundo Marino. El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Gysseth Herrera-Villarraga
- Área de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Ingeniería, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Sede Santa Marta, Carrera 2 #11-68, Edificio Mundo Marino. El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Jesús Ochoa-Mogollón
- Área de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Ingeniería, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Sede Santa Marta, Carrera 2 #11-68, Edificio Mundo Marino. El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Camila Sarmiento-Sánchez
- Área de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Ingeniería, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Sede Santa Marta, Carrera 2 #11-68, Edificio Mundo Marino. El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Luz Helena Rodríguez-Vargas
- Área de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Ingeniería, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Sede Santa Marta, Carrera 2 #11-68, Edificio Mundo Marino. El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Gladys Rozo-Torres
- Área de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Ingeniería, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Sede Santa Marta, Carrera 2 #11-68, Edificio Mundo Marino. El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Paula Guayán-Ruíz
- Área de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Ingeniería, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Sede Santa Marta, Carrera 2 #11-68, Edificio Mundo Marino. El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Adolfo Sanjuan-Muñoz
- Área de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Ingeniería, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Sede Santa Marta, Carrera 2 #11-68, Edificio Mundo Marino. El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia
| | - Andrés Franco-Herrera
- Área de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Ingeniería, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Sede Santa Marta, Carrera 2 #11-68, Edificio Mundo Marino. El Rodadero, Santa Marta, Colombia
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22
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Tulloch CL, Bargiela R, Williams GB, Chernikova TN, Cotterell BM, Wellington EMH, Christie-Oleza J, Thomas DN, Jones DL, Golyshin PN. Microbial communities colonising plastics during transition from the wastewater treatment plant to marine waters. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2024; 19:27. [PMID: 38685074 PMCID: PMC11057073 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-024-00569-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plastics pollution and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are two major environmental threats, but potential connections between plastic associated biofilms, the 'plastisphere', and dissemination of AMR genes are not well explored. RESULTS We conducted mesocosm experiments tracking microbial community changes on plastic surfaces transitioning from wastewater effluent to marine environments over 16 weeks. Commonly used plastics, polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) incubated in wastewater effluent, river water, estuarine water, and in the seawater for 16 weeks, were analysed via 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenome sequencing. Within one week, plastic-colonizing communities shifted from wastewater effluent-associated microorganisms to marine taxa, some members of which (e.g. Oleibacter-Thalassolituus and Sphingomonas spp., on PET, Alcanivoracaceae on PET and PP, or Oleiphilaceae, on all polymers), were selectively enriched from levels undetectable in the starting communities. Remarkably, microbial biofilms were also susceptible to parasitism, with Saprospiraceae feeding on biofilms at late colonisation stages (from week 6 onwards), while Bdellovibrionaceae were prominently present on HDPE from week 2 and LDPE from day 1. Relative AMR gene abundance declined over time, and plastics did not become enriched for key AMR genes after wastewater exposure. CONCLUSION Although some resistance genes occurred during the mesocosm transition on plastic substrata, those originated from the seawater organisms. Overall, plastic surfaces incubated in wastewater did not act as hotspots for AMR proliferation in simulated marine environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constance L Tulloch
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Rafael Bargiela
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Gwion B Williams
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Tatyana N Chernikova
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Benjamin M Cotterell
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
| | | | - Joseph Christie-Oleza
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
- Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122, Palma, Spain
| | - David N Thomas
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Davey L Jones
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Peter N Golyshin
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK.
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23
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Shafi M, Lodh A, Khajuria M, Ranjan VP, Gani KM, Chowdhury S, Goel S. Are we underestimating stormwater? Stormwater as a significant source of microplastics in surface waters. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 465:133445. [PMID: 38198866 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Stormwater represent a critical pathway for transporting microplastics (MPs) to surface waters. Due to complex dynamics of MPs in stormwater, its dispersion, weathering, risk, and transport are poorly understood. This review bridges those gaps by summarizing the latest findings on sources, abundance, characteristics, and dynamics involved in stormwater MP pollution. Weathering starts before or after MPs enter stormwater and is more pronounced on land due to continuous heat and mechanical stress. Land use patterns, rainfall intensity, MPs size and density, and drainage characteristics influence the transport of MPs in stormwater. Tire and road wear particles (TRWPs), littering, and road dust are major sources of MPs in stormwater. The concentrations of MPs varies from 0.38-197,000 particles/L globally. Further MP concentrations showed regional variations, highlighting the importance of local monitoring efforts needed to understand local pollution sources. We observed unique signatures associated with the shape and color of MPs. Fibers and fragments were widely reported, with transparent and black being the predominant colors. We conclude that the contribution of stormwater to MP pollution in surface waters is significantly greater than wastewater treatment plant effluents and demands immediate attention. Field and lab scale studies are needed to understand its behavior in stormwater and the risk posed to the downstream water bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mozim Shafi
- Environmental Engineering and Management Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Ayan Lodh
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Medha Khajuria
- Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 190006, India
| | - Ved Prakash Ranjan
- CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nehru Marg, Nagpur 440020, India
| | - Khalid Muzamil Gani
- Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 190006, India
| | - Shamik Chowdhury
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Sudha Goel
- Environmental Engineering and Management Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India.
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24
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Parida D, Katare K, Ganguly A, Chakraborty D, Konar O, Nogueira R, Bala K. Molecular docking and metagenomics assisted mitigation of microplastic pollution. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 351:141271. [PMID: 38262490 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics, tiny, flimsy, and direct progenitors of principal and subsidiary plastics, cause environmental degradation in aquatic and terrestrial entities. Contamination concerns include irrevocable impacts, potential cytotoxicity, and negative health effects on mortals. The detection, recovery, and degradation strategies of these pollutants in various biota and ecosystems, as well as their impact on plants, animals, and humans, have been a topic of significant interest. But the natural environment is infested with several types of plastics, all having different chemical makeup, structure, shape, and origin. Plastic trash acts as a substrate for microbial growth, creating biofilms on the plastisphere surface. This colonizing microbial diversity can be glimpsed with meta-genomics, a culture-independent approach. Owing to its comprehensive description of microbial communities, genealogical evidence on unconventional biocatalysts or enzymes, genomic correlations, evolutionary profile, and function, it is being touted as one of the promising tools in identifying novel enzymes for the degradation of polymers. Additionally, computational tools such as molecular docking can predict the binding of these novel enzymes to the polymer substrate, which can be validated through in vitro conditions for its environmentally feasible applications. This review mainly deals with the exploration of metagenomics along with computational tools to provide a clearer perspective into the microbial potential in the biodegradation of microplastics. The computational tools due to their polymathic nature will be quintessential in identifying the enzyme structure, binding affinities of the prospective enzymes to the substrates, and foretelling of degradation pathways involved which can be quite instrumental in the furtherance of the plastic degradation studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Parida
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, 453552, India.
| | - Konica Katare
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, 453552, India.
| | - Atmaadeep Ganguly
- Department of Microbiology, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, West Bengal State University, Kolkata, 700118, India.
| | - Disha Chakraborty
- Department of Botany, Shri Shikshayatan College, University of Calcutta, Lord Sinha Road, Kolkata, 700071, India.
| | - Oisi Konar
- Department of Botany, Shri Shikshayatan College, University of Calcutta, Lord Sinha Road, Kolkata, 700071, India.
| | - Regina Nogueira
- Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management, Leibniz Universität, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Kiran Bala
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, 453552, India.
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25
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Messer LF, Lee CE, Wattiez R, Matallana-Surget S. Novel functional insights into the microbiome inhabiting marine plastic debris: critical considerations to counteract the challenges of thin biofilms using multi-omics and comparative metaproteomics. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:36. [PMID: 38389111 PMCID: PMC10882806 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01751-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microbial functioning on marine plastic surfaces has been poorly documented, especially within cold climates where temperature likely impacts microbial activity and the presence of hydrocarbonoclastic microorganisms. To date, only two studies have used metaproteomics to unravel microbial genotype-phenotype linkages in the marine 'plastisphere', and these have revealed the dominance of photosynthetic microorganisms within warm climates. Advancing the functional representation of the marine plastisphere is vital for the development of specific databases cataloging the functional diversity of the associated microorganisms and their peptide and protein sequences, to fuel biotechnological discoveries. Here, we provide a comprehensive assessment for plastisphere metaproteomics, using multi-omics and data mining on thin plastic biofilms to provide unique insights into plastisphere metabolism. Our robust experimental design assessed DNA/protein co-extraction and cell lysis strategies, proteomics workflows, and diverse protein search databases, to resolve the active plastisphere taxa and their expressed functions from an understudied cold environment. RESULTS For the first time, we demonstrate the predominance and activity of hydrocarbonoclastic genera (Psychrobacter, Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas) within a primarily heterotrophic plastisphere. Correspondingly, oxidative phosphorylation, the citrate cycle, and carbohydrate metabolism were the dominant pathways expressed. Quorum sensing and toxin-associated proteins of Streptomyces were indicative of inter-community interactions. Stress response proteins expressed by Psychrobacter, Planococcus, and Pseudoalteromonas and proteins mediating xenobiotics degradation in Psychrobacter and Pseudoalteromonas suggested phenotypic adaptations to the toxic chemical microenvironment of the plastisphere. Interestingly, a targeted search strategy identified plastic biodegradation enzymes, including polyamidase, hydrolase, and depolymerase, expressed by rare taxa. The expression of virulence factors and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance suggested pathogenic genera were active, despite representing a minor component of the plastisphere community. CONCLUSION Our study addresses a critical gap in understanding the functioning of the marine plastisphere, contributing new insights into the function and ecology of an emerging and important microbial niche. Our comprehensive multi-omics and comparative metaproteomics experimental design enhances biological interpretations to provide new perspectives on microorganisms of potential biotechnological significance beyond biodegradation and to improve the assessment of the risks associated with microorganisms colonizing marine plastic pollution. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren F Messer
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland
| | - Charlotte E Lee
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland
| | - Ruddy Wattiez
- Proteomics and Microbiology Department, University of Mons, Mons, 7000, Belgium
| | - Sabine Matallana-Surget
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland.
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26
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Richert A, Kalwasińska A, Felföldi T, Szabó A, Fehér D, Dembińska K, Brzezinska MS. Characterization of bacterial biofilms developed on the biodegradable polylactide and polycaprolactone polymers containing birch tar in an aquatic environment. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 199:115922. [PMID: 38157832 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Birch tar was added to polylactide (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) to create films with antimicrobial properties. After incubating the films for seven days in lake water, the diversity of bacterial communities developed on the surfaces of PCL and PLA with embedded birch tar (1 %, 5 %, and 10 %, w/w) was assessed with amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene on a MiSeq platform (Illumina). Notably, Aquabacterium and Caulobacter were more abundant at the surface of PCL compared to PLA (13.4 % vs 0.2 %, p < 0.001 and 9.5 % vs 0.2 %, p < 0.001, respectively) while Hydrogenophaga was significantly more abundant at the surface of PLA compared to PCL (6.1 % vs 1.8 %, p < 0.01). Overall, lower birch tar concentrations (1 % and 5 % on both polymers) stimulated bacterial diversity in biofilms compared to the control. The number of reeds assigned to Flavobacterium and Aquabacterium showed a rising trend with the increase of birch tar concentration on the surface of both polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Richert
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Veterinary Science, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Gagarina 11, 87-100 Torun, Poland.
| | - Agnieszka Kalwasińska
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Gagarina 11, 87-100 Torun, Poland
| | - Tamás Felföldi
- Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Karolina 29, 1113 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Szabó
- Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Karolina 29, 1113 Budapest, Hungary; Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lennart Hjelms väg 9, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Dóra Fehér
- Department of Microbiology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter stny. 1/c, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katarzyna Dembińska
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Gagarina 11, 87-100 Torun, Poland
| | - Maria Swiontek Brzezinska
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Gagarina 11, 87-100 Torun, Poland
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27
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Cheng J, Wang P, Ghiglione JF, Liu L, Cai Z, Zhou J, Zhu X. Bacterial pathogens associated with the plastisphere of surgical face masks and their dispersion potential in the coastal marine environment. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 462:132741. [PMID: 37827107 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Huge numbers of face masks (FMs) were discharged into the ocean during the coronavirus pandemic. These polymer-based artificial surfaces can support the growth of specific bacterial assemblages, pathogens being of particular concern. However, the potential risks from FM-associated pathogens in the marine environment remain poorly understood. Here, FMs were deployed in coastal seawater for two months. PacBio circular consensus sequencing of the full-length 16S rRNA was used for pathogen identification, providing enhanced taxonomic resolution. Selective enrichment of putative pathogens (e.g., Ralstonia pickettii) was found on FMs, which provided a new niche for these pathogens rarely detected in the surrounding seawater or the stone controls. The total relative abundance of the putative pathogens in FMs was higher than in seawater but lower than in the stone controls. FM exposure during the two months resulted in 3% weight loss and the release of considerable amounts of microfibers. The ecological assembly process of the putative FM-associated pathogens was less impacted by the dispersal limitation, indicating that FM-derived microplastics can serve as vectors of most pathogens for their regional transport. Our results indicate a possible ecological risk of FMs for marine organisms or humans in the coastal and potentially in the open ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingguang Cheng
- Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China
| | - Pu Wang
- Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China
| | - Jean-François Ghiglione
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC), Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls sur mer 66650, France
| | - Lu Liu
- Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China
| | - Zhonghua Cai
- Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China
| | - Jin Zhou
- Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China.
| | - Xiaoshan Zhu
- Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, PR China.
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28
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Garrison CE, Pachiadaki MG, Soliman S, Helfrich A, Taylor GT. Microbes and microplastics: Community shifts along an urban coastal contaminant gradient. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16563. [PMID: 38151777 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Plastic substrates introduced to the environment during the Anthropocene have introduced new pathways for microbial selection and dispersal. Some plastic-colonising microorganisms have adapted phenotypes for plastic degradation (selection), while the spatial transport (dispersal) potential of plastic colonisers remains controlled by polymer-specific density, hydrography and currents. Plastic-degrading enzyme abundances have recently been correlated with concentrations of plastic debris in open ocean environments, making it critical to better understand colonisation of hydrocarbon degraders with plastic degradation potential in urbanised watersheds where plastic pollution often originates. We found that microbial colonisation by reputed hydrocarbon degraders on microplastics (MPs) correlated with a spatial contaminant gradient (New York City/Long Island waterways), polymer types, temporal scales, microbial domains and putative cell activity (DNA vs. RNA). Hydrocarbon-degrading taxa enriched on polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride substrates relative to other polymers and were more commonly recovered in samples proximal to New York City. These differences in MP colonisation could indicate phenotypic adaptation processes resulting from increased exposure to urban plastic runoff as well as differences in carbon bioavailability across polymer types. Shifts in MP community potential across urban coastal contaminant gradients and polymer types improve our understanding of environmental plastic discharge impacts toward biogeochemical cycling across the global ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody E Garrison
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Anthony Helfrich
- School of Professional Development, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Gordon T Taylor
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
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29
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Bhalerao A, Dueker U, Weber M, Eich A, Lott C, Endres HJ, Nogueira R. Bacterial diversity of biofilms on polyhydroxybutyrate exposed to marine conditions: Ex-situ vs. in-situ tests. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167458. [PMID: 37777124 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Biofilms form on any available surface and, depending on the characteristics of the material and the environmental conditions, biodegradation can take place. We compared the bacterial composition of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-related biofilm communities from marine ex-situ and in-situ tests to assess the differences in diversity and abundance between these two biofilms. This comparison will help to better assess the transferability of tank tests to real-life scenarios. The in-situ tests were set up in the Mediterranean Sea on the Island of Elba, Italy where PHB-tensile bars were lodged in the sediments. This created a water-exposed aerobic and mud-planted anaerobic scenario. The ex-situ tests were modeled after in-situ tests and performed in temperature-controlled tanks. The PHB-related biofilms were harvested after 240 days of exposure along with planktonic bacteria, and particle- and sediment-related biofilm. The bacterial composition was elucidated using 16S rDNA sequencing. Biofilms harvested from the in-situ test were more diverse, less even, and contained more rare species compared to biofilms from the ex-situ test. The PHB-related biofilm was characterized by a higher abundance of the bacterial order Desulfobacterales. The composition of PHB-related biofilm varied significantly between the two tests and between aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The composition of PHB-related biofilm was significantly different from planktonic bacteria, particle, and sediment-related biofilm, showing the influence of PHB on the biofilm composition. Thus, the ex-situ tank test for PHB degradation cannot, in terms of bacterial composition, simulate the in-situ conditions to their full extent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniruddha Bhalerao
- Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management, Leibniz University Hannover, Welfengarten 1, D-30167 Hannover, Germany
| | - Urda Dueker
- Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management, Leibniz University Hannover, Welfengarten 1, D-30167 Hannover, Germany
| | - Miriam Weber
- HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH, Steinfeldweg 15, 77815 Bühl, Germany
| | - Andreas Eich
- HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH, Steinfeldweg 15, 77815 Bühl, Germany
| | - Christian Lott
- HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH, Steinfeldweg 15, 77815 Bühl, Germany
| | - Hans Josef Endres
- Institute for Plastics and Circulation Technology, Leibniz University Hannover, An der Universität 2, 30823 Garbsen, Germany
| | - Regina Nogueira
- Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management, Leibniz University Hannover, Welfengarten 1, D-30167 Hannover, Germany.
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Di Pippo F, Bocci V, Amalfitano S, Crognale S, Levantesi C, Pietrelli L, Di Lisio V, Martinelli A, Rossetti S. Microbial colonization patterns and biodegradation of petrochemical and biodegradable plastics in lake waters: insights from a field experiment. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1290441. [PMID: 38125574 PMCID: PMC10731271 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1290441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Once dispersed in water, plastic materials become promptly colonized by biofilm-forming microorganisms, commonly known as plastisphere. Methods By combining DNA sequencing and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM), we investigated the plastisphere colonization patterns following exposure to natural lake waters (up to 77 days) of either petrochemical or biodegradable plastic materials (low density polyethylene - LDPE, polyethylene terephthalate - PET, polylactic acid - PLA, and the starch-based MaterBi® - Mb) in comparison to planktonic community composition. Chemical composition, water wettability, and morphology of plastic surfaces were evaluated, through Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and static contact angle analysis, to assess the possible effects of microbial colonization and biodegradation activity. Results and Discussion The phylogenetic composition of plastisphere and planktonic communities was notably different. Pioneering microbial colonisers, likely selected from lake waters, were found associated with all plastic materials, along with a core of more than 30 abundant bacterial families associated with all polymers. The different plastic materials, either derived from petrochemical hydrocarbons (i.e., LDPE and PET) or biodegradable (PLA and Mb), were used by opportunistic aquatic microorganisms as adhesion surfaces rather than carbon sources. The Mb-associated microorganisms (i.e. mostly members of the family Burkholderiaceae) were likely able to degrade the starch residues on the polymer surfaces, although the Mb matrix maintained its original chemical structure and morphology. Overall, our findings provide insights into the complex interactions between aquatic microorganisms and plastic materials found in lake waters, highlighting the importance of understanding the plastisphere dynamics to better manage the fate of plastic debris in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Di Pippo
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Valerio Bocci
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- PhD Program in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Amalfitano
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Simona Crognale
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Caterina Levantesi
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Valerio Di Lisio
- Donostia International Physics Center, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal, San Sebastián, Spain
| | | | - Simona Rossetti
- Water Research Institute, CNR-IRSA, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
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Bos RP, Kaul D, Zettler ER, Hoffman JM, Dupont CL, Amaral-Zettler LA, Mincer TJ. Plastics select for distinct early colonizing microbial populations with reproducible traits across environmental gradients. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:2761-2775. [PMID: 37132662 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about early plastic biofilm assemblage dynamics and successional changes over time. By incubating virgin microplastics along oceanic transects and comparing adhered microbial communities with those of naturally occurring plastic litter at the same locations, we constructed gene catalogues to contrast the metabolic differences between early and mature biofilm communities. Early colonization incubations were reproducibly dominated by Alteromonadaceae and harboured significantly higher proportions of genes associated with adhesion, biofilm formation, chemotaxis, hydrocarbon degradation and motility. Comparative genomic analyses among the Alteromonadaceae metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) highlighted the importance of the mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (MSHA) operon, recognized as a key factor for intestinal colonization, for early colonization of hydrophobic plastic surfaces. Synteny alignments of MSHA also demonstrated positive selection for mshA alleles across all MAGs, suggesting that mshA provides a competitive advantage for surface colonization and nutrient acquisition. Large-scale genomic characteristics of early colonizers varied little, despite environmental variability. Mature plastic biofilms were composed of predominantly Rhodobacteraceae and displayed significantly higher proportions of carbohydrate hydrolysis enzymes and genes for photosynthesis and secondary metabolism. Our metagenomic analyses provide insight into early biofilm formation on plastics in the ocean and how early colonizers self-assemble, compared to mature, phylogenetically and metabolically diverse biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P Bos
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
| | - Drishti Kaul
- Environmental Sustainability, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Erik R Zettler
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey M Hoffman
- Environmental Sustainability, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Christopher L Dupont
- Environmental Sustainability, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Linda A Amaral-Zettler
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tracy J Mincer
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
- Department of Biology, Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, USA
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Silva V, Pérez V, Gillanders BM. Short-term plastisphere colonization dynamics across six plastic types. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:2732-2745. [PMID: 37341062 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Marine plastic pollution is a major concern worldwide, but the understanding of plastisphere dynamics remains limited in the southern hemisphere. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a study in South Australia to investigate the prokaryotic community of the plastisphere and its temporal changes over 4 weeks. We submerged six plastic types (i.e., High-Density Polyethylene [HDPE], Polyvinyl chloride [PVC], Low-Density Polyethylene [LDPE], Polypropylene [PP], Polystyrene [PS] and the understudied textile, polyester [PET]) and wood in seawater and sampled them weekly to characterize the prokaryotic community using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Our results showed that the plastisphere composition shifted significantly over short time scales (i.e., 4 weeks), and each plastic type had distinct groups of unique genera. In particular, the PVC plastisphere was dominated by Cellvibrionaceae taxa, distinguishing it from other plastics. Additionally, the textile polyester, which is rarely studied in plastisphere research, supported the growth of a unique group of 25 prokaryotic genera (which included the potential pathogenic Legionella genus). Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the colonization dynamics of the plastisphere over short time scales and contributes to narrowing the research gap on the southern hemisphere plastisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinuri Silva
- Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Vilma Pérez
- Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Bronwyn M Gillanders
- Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Zhao S, Liu R, Wang J, Lv S, Zhang B, Dong C, Shao Z. Biodegradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by diverse marine bacteria in deep-sea sediments. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:2719-2731. [PMID: 37421171 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
PET plastic waste entering the oceans is supposed to take hundreds of years to degrade and tends to accumulate in the deep sea. However, we know little about the bacteria capable of plastic degradation therein. To determine whether PET-degrading bacteria are present in deep-sea sediment, we collected the samples from the eastern central Pacific Ocean and initiated microbial incubation with PET as the carbon source. After enrichment with PET for 2 years, we gained all 15 deep-sea sediment communities at five oceanic sampling sites. Bacterial isolation for pure culture and further growth tests confirmed that diverse bacteria possess degradation ability including Alcanivorax xenomutans BC02_1_A5, Marinobacter sediminum BC31_3_A1, Marinobacter gudaonensis BC06_2_A6, Thalassospira xiamenensis BC02_2_A1 and Nocardioides marinus BC14_2_R3. Furthermore, four strains were chosen as representatives to reconfirm the PET degradation capability by SEM, weight loss and UPLC-MS. The results showed that after 30-day incubation, 1.3%-1.8% of PET was lost. De-polymerization of PET by the four strains was confirmed by the occurrence of the PET monomer of MHET and TPA as the key degradation products. Bacterial consortia possessing PET-degrading potential are prevalent and diverse and might play a key role in the removal of PET pollutants in deep oceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sufang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Xiamen, China
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai, China
| | - Renju Liu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Xiamen, China
- School of Environmental Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Juan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Xiamen, China
| | - Shiwei Lv
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Xiamen, China
- School of Environmental Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Benjuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Xiamen, China
- School of Fisheries and Life, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunming Dong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Xiamen, China
| | - Zongze Shao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Xiamen, China
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai, China
- School of Environmental Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
- School of Fisheries and Life, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai, China
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Dudek KL, Neuer S. Environmental exposure more than plastic composition shapes marine microplastic-associated bacterial communities in Pacific versus Caribbean field incubations. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:2807-2821. [PMID: 37899673 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics have arisen as a global threat to marine ecosystems. In this study, we explored the role that plastic polymer type, incubation time and geographic location have on shaping the microbial community adhered to the microplastics, termed the plastisphere. We performed detailed bacterial plastisphere community analyses on microplastics of six different household plastic polymers, serving as proxies of secondary microplastics, incubated for 6 weeks in coastal Pacific waters. These bacterial communities were compared to the plastisphere communities grown on identical microplastic particles incubated in the coastal Caribbean Sea at Bocas del Toro, Panama. Ribosomal gene sequencing analyses revealed that bacterial community composition did not exhibit a significant preference for plastic type at either site but was instead driven by the incubation time and geographic location. We identified a 'core plastisphere' composed of 57 amplicon sequence variants common to all plastic types, incubation times and locations, with possible synergies between taxa. This study contributes to our understanding of the importance of geography in addition to exposure time, in the composition of the plastisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kassandra L Dudek
- School of Life Sciences and Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Susanne Neuer
- School of Life Sciences and Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- School of Ocean Futures, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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El-Malah SS, Rasool K, Jabbar KA, Sohail MU, Baalousha HM, Mahmoud KA. Marine Bacterial Community Structures of Selected Coastal Seawater and Sediment Sites in Qatar. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2827. [PMID: 38137970 PMCID: PMC10745943 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11122827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe environmental conditions can have a diverse impact on marine microorganisms, including bacteria. This can have an inevitable impact on the biofouling of membrane-based desalination plants. In this work, we have utilized indicator bacteria such as total coliform, fecal coliform, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as 16S rRNA sequencing, to investigate the impact of environmental conditions and spatial variations on the diversity of bacterial communities in the coastal waters and sediments from selected sites in Qatar. The concentration levels of indicator bacteria were affected by increasing temperatures and pH, and by decreasing salinity of seawater samples. Diversity indices and the molecular phylogeny demonstrated that Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria were the dominant phyla in all locations. The most abundant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the family level were from Flavobacteriaceae (27.07%, 4.31%) and Rhodobacteraceae (22.51%, 9.86%) in seawater and sediment, respectively. Alphaproteobacteria (33.87%, 16.82%), Flavobacteria (30.68%, 5.84%), and Gammaproteobacteria (20.35%, 12.45%) were abundant at the species level in both seawater and sediment, while Clostridia (13.72%) was abundant in sediment only. The results suggest that sediment can act as a reservoir for indicator bacteria, with higher diversity and lower abundance compared to seawater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shimaa S. El-Malah
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar; (S.S.E.-M.); (K.R.); (K.A.J.)
| | - Kashif Rasool
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar; (S.S.E.-M.); (K.R.); (K.A.J.)
| | - Khadeeja Abdul Jabbar
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar; (S.S.E.-M.); (K.R.); (K.A.J.)
| | | | - Husam Musa Baalousha
- Department of Geosciences, College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Khaled A. Mahmoud
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar; (S.S.E.-M.); (K.R.); (K.A.J.)
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Karkanorachaki K, Syranidou E, Kalogerakis N. Extreme weather events as an important factor for the evolution of plastisphere but not for the degradation process. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 246:120687. [PMID: 37801984 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Marine plastics, with their negative effects on marine life and the human health, have been recently recognized as a new niche for the colonization and development of marine biofilms. Members of the colonizing communities could possess the potential for plastic biodegradation. Thus, there is an urgent need to characterize these complex and geographically variable communities and elucidate the functionalities. In this work, we characterize the fungal and bacterial colonizers of 5 types of plastic films (High Density Polyethylene, Low Density Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polystyrene and Polyethylene Terepthalate) over the course of a 242-day incubation in the south-eastern Mediterranean and relate them to the chemical changes observed on the surface of the samples via ATR-FTIR. The 16s rRNA and ITS2 ribosomal regions of the plastisphere communities were sequenced on four time points (35, 152, 202 and 242 days). The selection of the time points was dictated by the occurrence of a severe storm which removed biological fouling from the surface of the samples and initiated a second colonization period. The bacterial communities, dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, were the most variable and diverse. Fungal communities, characterized mainly by the presence of Ascomycota, were not significantly affected by the storm. Neither bacterial nor fungal community structure were related to the polymer type acting as substrate, while the surface of the plastic samples underwent weathering of oscillating degrees with time. This work examines the long-term development of Mediterranean epiplastic biofilms and is the first to examine how primary colonization influences the microbial community re-attachment and succession as a response to extreme weather events. Finally, it is one of the few studies to examine fungal communities, despite them containing putative plastic degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Karkanorachaki
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, GR-73100, Chania, Greece
| | - Evdokia Syranidou
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, GR-73100, Chania, Greece
| | - Nicolas Kalogerakis
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, GR-73100, Chania, Greece; Institute of GeoEnergy, Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas, GR-73100, Chania, Greece.
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Zadjelovic V, Wright RJ, Borsetto C, Quartey J, Cairns TN, Langille MGI, Wellington EMH, Christie-Oleza JA. Microbial hitchhikers harbouring antimicrobial-resistance genes in the riverine plastisphere. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:225. [PMID: 37908022 PMCID: PMC10619285 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01662-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The widespread nature of plastic pollution has given rise to wide scientific and social concern regarding the capacity of these materials to serve as vectors for pathogenic bacteria and reservoirs for Antimicrobial Resistance Genes (ARG). In- and ex-situ incubations were used to characterise the riverine plastisphere taxonomically and functionally in order to determine whether antibiotics within the water influenced the ARG profiles in these microbiomes and how these compared to those on natural surfaces such as wood and their planktonic counterparts. RESULTS We show that plastics support a taxonomically distinct microbiome containing potential pathogens and ARGs. While the plastisphere was similar to those biofilms that grew on wood, they were distinct from the surrounding water microbiome. Hence, whilst potential opportunistic pathogens (i.e. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter and Aeromonas) and ARG subtypes (i.e. those that confer resistance to macrolides/lincosamides, rifamycin, sulfonamides, disinfecting agents and glycopeptides) were predominant in all surface-related microbiomes, especially on weathered plastics, a completely different set of potential pathogens (i.e. Escherichia, Salmonella, Klebsiella and Streptococcus) and ARGs (i.e. aminoglycosides, tetracycline, aminocoumarin, fluoroquinolones, nitroimidazole, oxazolidinone and fosfomycin) dominated in the planktonic compartment. Our genome-centric analysis allowed the assembly of 215 Metagenome Assembled Genomes (MAGs), linking ARGs and other virulence-related genes to their host. Interestingly, a MAG belonging to Escherichia -that clearly predominated in water- harboured more ARGs and virulence factors than any other MAG, emphasising the potential virulent nature of these pathogenic-related groups. Finally, ex-situ incubations using environmentally-relevant concentrations of antibiotics increased the prevalence of their corresponding ARGs, but different riverine compartments -including plastispheres- were affected differently by each antibiotic. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide insights into the capacity of the riverine plastisphere to harbour a distinct set of potentially pathogenic bacteria and function as a reservoir of ARGs. The environmental impact that plastics pose if they act as a reservoir for either pathogenic bacteria or ARGs is aggravated by the persistence of plastics in the environment due to their recalcitrance and buoyancy. Nevertheless, the high similarities with microbiomes growing on natural co-occurring materials and even more worrisome microbiome observed in the surrounding water highlights the urgent need to integrate the analysis of all environmental compartments when assessing risks and exposure to pathogens and ARGs in anthropogenically-impacted ecosystems. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinko Zadjelovic
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
- Present address: Centro de Bioinnovación de Antofagasta (CBIA), Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, 1271155, Antofagasta, Chile.
| | - Robyn J Wright
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Chiara Borsetto
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Jeannelle Quartey
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Tyler N Cairns
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Morgan G I Langille
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | | | - Joseph A Christie-Oleza
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
- Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122, Palma, Spain.
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Xu L, Li K, Zhang M, Guo J, Jia W, Bai X, Tian X, Huang Y. Plastic substrate and residual time of microplastics in the urban river shape the composition and structure of bacterial communities in plastisphere. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 345:118710. [PMID: 37536136 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
The widespread secondary microplastics (MPs) in urban freshwater, originating from plastic wastes, have created a new habitat called plastisphere for microorganisms. The factors influencing the structure and ecological risks of the microbial community within the plastisphere are not yet fully understood. We conducted an in-site incubation experiment in an urban river, using MPs from garbage bags (GB), shopping bags (SB), and plastic bottles (PB). Bacterial communities in water and plastisphere incubated for 2 and 4 weeks were analyzed by 16S high-throughput sequencing. The results showed the bacterial composition of the plastisphere, especially the PB, exhibited enrichment of plastic-degrading and photoautotrophic taxa. Diversity declined in GB and PB but increased in SB plastisphere. Abundance analysis revealed distinct bacterial species that were enriched or depleted in each type of plastisphere. As the succession progressed, the differences in community structure was more pronounced, and the decline in the complexity of bacterial community within each plastisphere suggested increasing specialization. All the plastisphere exhibited elevated pathogenicity at the second or forth week, compared to bacterial communities related to natural particles. These findings highlighted the continually evolving plastisphere in urban rivers was influenced by the plastic substrates, and attention should be paid to fragile plastic wastes due to the rapidly increasing pathogenicity of the bacterial community attached to them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libo Xu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Kang Li
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Mengjun Zhang
- Peking University Shenzhen Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518057, China; PKU-HKUST Shenzhen-Hongkong Institution, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518057, China
| | - Jiabao Guo
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Weiqian Jia
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xinyi Bai
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xudong Tian
- Key Laboratory of Ecological and Environmental Monitoring, Forewarning and Quality Control of Zhejiang, Zhejiang Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
| | - Yi Huang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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Guo W, Duan J, Shi Z, Yu X, Shao Z. Biodegradation of PET by the membrane-anchored PET esterase from the marine bacterium Rhodococcus pyridinivorans P23. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1090. [PMID: 37891241 PMCID: PMC10611731 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05470-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence for microbial biodegradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been reported, but little is known about the PET biodegradation process and molecular mechanism by marine microorganisms. Here, we show the biodegradation of PET by the membrane-anchored PET esterase from the marine bacterium Rhodococcus pyridinivorans P23, elucidate the properties of this enzyme, and propose the PET biodegradation by this strain in biofilm. We identify the PET-degrading enzyme dubbed PET esterase through activity tracking. In addition to depolymerizing PET, it hydrolyzes MHET into TPA under acid conditions. We prove that it is a low and constitutively transcribed, membrane-anchored protein displayed on the cell surface. Furthermore, we also investigate the microbial groups possessing PET esterase coupled with the TPA degradation pathway, mainly in the phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota. Clarification of the microbial PET biodegradation in the marine environment will contribute to the understanding of bioremediation of marine PET pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 361005, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
| | - Jingjing Duan
- College of Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, 361005, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
| | - Zhengguang Shi
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 361005, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- School of Advanced Manufacturing, Fuzhou University, 362251, Jinjiang, China
| | - Xue Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 361005, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- School of Advanced Manufacturing, Fuzhou University, 362251, Jinjiang, China
| | - Zongze Shao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 361005, Xiamen, Fujian, China
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Wang PY, Zhao ZY, Xiong XB, Wang N, Zhou R, Zhang ZM, Ding F, Hao M, Wang S, Ma Y, Uzamurera AG, Xiao KW, Khan A, Tao XP, Wang WY, Tao HY, Xiong YC. Microplastics affect soil bacterial community assembly more by their shapes rather than the concentrations. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 245:120581. [PMID: 37703757 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Polyethylene film mulching is a key technology for soil water retention in dryland agriculture, but the aging of the films can generate a large number of microplastics with different shapes. There exists a widespread misunderstanding that the concentrations of microplastics might be the determinant affecting the diversity and assembly of soil bacterial communities, rather than their shapes. Here, we examined the variations of soil bacteria community composition and functioning under two-year field incubation by four shapes (ball, fiber, fragment and powder) of microplastics along the concentration gradients (0.01%, 0.1% and 1%). Data showed that specific surface area of microplastics was significantly positively correlated with the variations of bacterial community abundance and diversity (r=0.505, p<0.05). The fragment- and fiber-shape microplastics displayed more pronounced interfacial continuity with soil particles and induced greater soil bacterial α-diversity, relative to the powder- and ball-shape ones. Strikingly, microplastic concentrations were not significantly correlated with bacterial community indices (r=0.079, p>0.05). Based on the variations of the βNTI, bacterial community assembly actually followed both stochastic and deterministic processes, and microplastic shapes significantly modified soil biogeochemical cycle and ecological functions. Therefore, the shapes of microplastics, rather than the concentration, significantly affected soil bacterial community assembly, in association with microplastic-soil-water interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng-Yang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ze-Ying Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiao-Bin Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ning Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Rui Zhou
- School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
| | - Zhi-Ming Zhang
- School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
| | - Fan Ding
- College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Meng Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Song Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yue Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Aimee Grace Uzamurera
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Kai-Wen Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Aziz Khan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiu-Ping Tao
- Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610095, China
| | - Wen-Ying Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810001, China
| | - Hong-Yan Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - You-Cai Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
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Kang MG, Kwak MJ, Kim Y. Polystyrene microplastics biodegradation by gut bacterial Enterobacter hormaechei from mealworms under anaerobic conditions: Anaerobic oxidation and depolymerization. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 459:132045. [PMID: 37480606 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic plastic is used throughout daily life and industry, threatening organisms with microplastic pollution. Polystyrene is a major plastic polymer and also widely found sources of plastic wastes and microplastics. Here, we report that Enterobacter hormaechei LG3 (CP118279.1), a facultative anaerobic bacterial strain isolated from the gut of Tenebrio molitor larvae (mealworms) can oxidize and depolymerize polystyrene under anaerobic conditions. LG3 performed biodegradation while forming a biofilm on the plastic surface. PS biodegradation was characterized by analyses of surface oxidation, change in morphology and molecular weights, and production of biodegraded derivative. The biodegradation performance by LG3 was compared with PS biodegradation by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SCGB1 under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. In addition, through nanopore sequencing technology, we identified degradative enzymes, including thiol peroxidase (tpx), alkyl hydroperoxide reductase C (ahpC) and bacterioferritin comigratory protein (bcp). Along with the upregulation of degradative enzymes for biodegradation, changes in lipid A and biofilm-associated proteins were also observed after the cells were incubated with polystyrene microplastics. Our results provide evidence for anaerobic biodegradation by polystyrene-degrading bacteria and show alterations in gene expression patterns after polystyrene microplastics treatment in the opportunistic pathogen Enterobacter hormaechei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Geun Kang
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Jin Kwak
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Younghoon Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
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Singleton SL, Davis EW, Arnold HK, Daniels AMY, Brander SM, Parsons RJ, Sharpton TJ, Giovannoni SJ. Identification of rare microbial colonizers of plastic materials incubated in a coral reef environment. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1259014. [PMID: 37869676 PMCID: PMC10585116 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1259014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Plastic waste accumulation in marine environments has complex, unintended impacts on ecology that cross levels of community organization. To measure succession in polyolefin-colonizing marine bacterial communities, an in situ time-series experiment was conducted in the oligotrophic coastal waters of the Bermuda Platform. Our goals were to identify polyolefin colonizing taxa and isolate bacterial cultures for future studies of the biochemistry of microbe-plastic interactions. HDPE, LDPE, PP, and glass coupons were incubated in surface seawater for 11 weeks and sampled at two-week intervals. 16S rDNA sequencing and ATR-FTIR/HIM were used to assess biofilm community structure and chemical changes in polymer surfaces. The dominant colonizing taxa were previously reported cosmopolitan colonizers of surfaces in marine environments, which were highly similar among the different plastic types. However, significant differences in rare community composition were observed between plastic types, potentially indicating specific interactions based on surface chemistry. Unexpectedly, a major transition in community composition occurred in all material treatments between days 42 and 56 (p < 0.01). Before the transition, Alteromonadaceae, Marinomonadaceae, Saccharospirillaceae, Vibrionaceae, Thalassospiraceae, and Flavobacteriaceae were the dominant colonizers. Following the transition, the relative abundance of these taxa declined, while Hyphomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae and Saprospiraceae increased. Over the course of the incubation, 8,641 colonizing taxa were observed, of which 25 were significantly enriched on specific polyolefins. Seven enriched taxa from families known to include hydrocarbon degraders (Hyphomonadaceae, Parvularculaceae and Rhodobacteraceae) and one n-alkane degrader (Ketobacter sp.). The ASVs that exhibited associations with specific polyolefins are targets of ongoing investigations aimed at retrieving plastic-degrading microbes in culture.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edward W. Davis
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Holly K. Arnold
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | | | - Susanne M. Brander
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, United States
| | | | - Thomas J. Sharpton
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
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Pan I, Umapathy S, Issac PK, Rahman MM, Guru A, Arockiaraj J. The bioaccessibility of adsorped heavy metals on biofilm-coated microplastics and their implication for the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:1264. [PMID: 37782357 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11890-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) tiny fragments (< 5 mm) of conventional and specialized industrial polymers are persistent and ubiquitous in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem. Breathing, ingestion, consumption of food stuffs, potable water, and skin are possible routes of MP exposure that pose potential human health risk. Various microorganisms including bacteria, cyanobacteria, and microalgae rapidly colonized on MP surfaces which initiate biofilm formation. It gradually changed the MP surface chemistry and polymer properties that attract environmental metals. Physicochemical and environmental parameters like polymer type, dissolved organic matter (DOM), pH, salinity, ion concentrations, and microbial community compositions regulate metal adsorption on MP biofilm surface. A set of highly conserved proteins tightly regulates metal uptake, subcellular distribution, storage, and transport to maintain cellular homeostasis. Exposure of metal-MP biofilm can disrupt that cellular homeostasis to induce toxicities. Imbalances in metal concentrations therefore led to neuronal network dysfunction, ROS, mitochondrial damage in diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and Prion disorder. This review focuses on the biofilm development on MP surfaces, factors controlling the growth of MP biofilm which triggered metal accumulation to induce neurotoxicological consequences in human body and stategies to reestablish the homeostasis. Thus, the present study gives a new approach on the health risks of heavy metals associated with MP biofilm in which biofilms trigger metal accumulation and MPs serve as a vector for those accumulated metals causing metal dysbiosis in human body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ieshita Pan
- Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Medical Biotechnology and Integrative Physiology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 602105, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Suganiya Umapathy
- Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Medical Biotechnology and Integrative Physiology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 602105, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Praveen Kumar Issac
- Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Medical Biotechnology and Integrative Physiology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 602105, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Md Mostafizur Rahman
- Laboratory of Environmental Health and Ecotoxicology, Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh
| | - Ajay Guru
- Department of Cariology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Jesu Arockiaraj
- Toxicology and Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Humanities, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur 603203, Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu, India.
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Abed RMM, Al-Hinai M, Al-Balushi Y, Haider L, Muthukrishnan T, Rinner U. Degradation of starch-based bioplastic bags in the pelagic and benthic zones of the Gulf of Oman. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 195:115496. [PMID: 37703633 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
The Gulf of Oman is becoming increasingly polluted with plastics, hence bioplastics have been considered 'a substitute', although their biodegradability in marine environments has not been well investigated. Most research has been performed on cellulose-based bioplastics, whereas starch-based bioplastics have proven to be a suitable, but less researched, alternative. This study is the first of its kind designed to investigate the degradability of two different types of starch-based bioplastic bags, available in the market and labeled as "biodegradable", in the pelagic and benthic zones of one of the warmest marine environment in the world. Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) showed a clear reduction in the presence of OH, CH, and CO in the bioplastic bags after 5 weeks of immersion. Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) indicated degradation of glycerol, starch, and polyethylene. The biofouling bacterial communities on bioplastic surfaces showed distinct grouping based on the immersion zone. Candidaatus saccharibacteria, Verrucomicrobiae, Acidimicrobiia and Planctomycetia sequences were only detectable on bioplastics in the pelagic zone, whereas Actinomyces, Pseudomonas, Sphingobium and Acinetobacter related sequences were only found on bioplastics in the benthic layer. We conclude that starch-based bioplastics are more readily degradable in the Gulf of Oman than conventional plastics, hence could serve as a better environmentally friendly alternative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raeid M M Abed
- Biology Department, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, P. O. Box: 36, PC 123 Al Khoud, Sultanate of Oman.
| | - Mahmood Al-Hinai
- Biology Department, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, P. O. Box: 36, PC 123 Al Khoud, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Yasmin Al-Balushi
- Biology Department, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, P. O. Box: 36, PC 123 Al Khoud, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Lorenz Haider
- Institute of Applied Chemistry, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Piaristengasse 1, 3500 Krems, Austria
| | - Thirumahal Muthukrishnan
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E5, Canada
| | - Uwe Rinner
- Institute of Applied Chemistry, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Piaristengasse 1, 3500 Krems, Austria
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Xu X, Wang S, Li C, Li J, Gao F, Zheng L. Quorum sensing bacteria in microplastics epiphytic biofilms and their biological characteristics which potentially impact marine ecosystem. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 264:115444. [PMID: 37690175 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) have been shown to be a new type of pollutant in the oceans, with complex biofilms attached to their surfaces. Bacteria with quorum sensing (QS) systems are important participants in biofilms. Such bacteria can secrete and detect signal molecules. When a signal molecule reaches its threshold level, bacteria with QS systems can perform several biological functions, such as biofilm formation and antibiotic metabolite production. However, the ecological effects of QS bacteria in biofilm as MPs distribute globally with ocean currents are not to be elucidate yet. In this study, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride were selected for on-site enrichment to acquire microplastics with biofilms. Eight culturable QS bacteria in the resulting biofilm were isolated by using biosensor assays, and their biodiversity was analyzed. The profiles of the N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) produced by these bacteria were analyzed by using thin-layer chromatography (TLC)-bioautography and gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Biofilm-forming properties and several biological characteristics, such as bacteriostasis, algal inhibition, and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) degradation, were explored along with QS quenching. Results showed that QS bacteria were mainly affiliated with class Alphaproteobacteria, particularly Rhodobacteraceae, followed by class Gammaproteobacteria. TLC-bioautography and GC-MS analyses revealed that seven AHLs, namely, C6-HSL, C8-HSL, 3-oxo-C6-HSL, 3-oxo-C8-HSL, 3-oxo-C10-HSL, and two unidentified AHLs were produced. The QS system equipped bacteria with strong biofilm-forming capacity and may contribute to the keystone roles of Rhodobacteraceae. In addition, QS bacteria may exacerbate the adverse environmental effects of MPs, such as inducing the misfeeding of planktons on MPs. This study elucidated the diversity of QS bacteria in MP-associated biofilms and provided a new perspective of the effect of key membrane-forming bacteria on the marine ecological environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyuan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China
| | - Shuai Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China
| | - Chengxuan Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China
| | - Jingxi Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China
| | - Fenglei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
| | - Li Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China; Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China.
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Perez-Garcia P, Chow J, Costanzi E, Gurschke M, Dittrich J, Dierkes RF, Molitor R, Applegate V, Feuerriegel G, Tete P, Danso D, Thies S, Schumacher J, Pfleger C, Jaeger KE, Gohlke H, Smits SHJ, Schmitz RA, Streit WR. An archaeal lid-containing feruloyl esterase degrades polyethylene terephthalate. Commun Chem 2023; 6:193. [PMID: 37697032 PMCID: PMC10495362 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-023-00998-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commodity polymer known to globally contaminate marine and terrestrial environments. Today, around 80 bacterial and fungal PET-active enzymes (PETases) are known, originating from four bacterial and two fungal phyla. In contrast, no archaeal enzyme had been identified to degrade PET. Here we report on the structural and biochemical characterization of PET46 (RLI42440.1), an archaeal promiscuous feruloyl esterase exhibiting degradation activity on semi-crystalline PET powder comparable to IsPETase and LCC (wildtypes), and higher activity on bis-, and mono-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET and MHET). The enzyme, found by a sequence-based metagenome search, is derived from a non-cultivated, deep-sea Candidatus Bathyarchaeota archaeon. Biochemical characterization demonstrated that PET46 is a promiscuous, heat-adapted hydrolase. Its crystal structure was solved at a resolution of 1.71 Å. It shares the core alpha/beta-hydrolase fold with bacterial PETases, but contains a unique lid common in feruloyl esterases, which is involved in substrate binding. Thus, our study widens the currently known diversity of PET-hydrolyzing enzymes, by demonstrating PET depolymerization by a plant cell wall-degrading esterase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Perez-Garcia
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jennifer Chow
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Elisa Costanzi
- Center for Structural Studies (CSS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Marno Gurschke
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jonas Dittrich
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Robert F Dierkes
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rebecka Molitor
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology (IMET), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Jülich, Germany
| | - Violetta Applegate
- Center for Structural Studies (CSS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Golo Feuerriegel
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Prince Tete
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Danso
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Thies
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology (IMET), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Jülich, Germany
| | - Julia Schumacher
- Center for Structural Studies (CSS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Christopher Pfleger
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Karl-Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology (IMET), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Sander H J Smits
- Center for Structural Studies (CSS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Biochemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ruth A Schmitz
- Institute for General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Wolfgang R Streit
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
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Naudet J, d'Orbcastel ER, Bouvier T, Godreuil S, Dyall S, Bouvy S, Rieuvilleneuve F, Restrepo-Ortiz CX, Bettarel Y, Auguet JC. Identifying macroplastic pathobiomes and antibiotic resistance in a subtropical fish farm. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 194:115267. [PMID: 37487429 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Macroplastics are ubiquitous in aquaculture ecosystems. However, to date the potential role of plastics as a support for bacterial biofilm that can include potential human pathogenic bacteria (PHPB) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) has been largely overlooked. In this study, we used a combination of metabarcoding and standard antibiotic susceptibility testing to study the pathobiome and resistome of macroplastics, fish guts and the environment in a marine aquaculture farm in Mauritius. Aquaculture macroplastics were found to be higher in PHPB, dominated by the Vibrionaceae family (0.34 % of the total community), compared with environmental samples. Moreover, isolates from aquaculture plastics showed higher significant multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) compared to non-plastic samples of seawater, sediment and fish guts. These results suggest that plastics act as a reservoir and fomite of PHPB and ARB in aquaculture, potentially threatening the health of farmed fish and human consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne Naudet
- UMR MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France.
| | - Emmanuelle Roque d'Orbcastel
- UMR MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Sète, France; IOC, Indian Ocean Commission, Blue Tower, Rue de l'Institut, Ebène, Mauritius
| | - Thierry Bouvier
- UMR MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Sylvain Godreuil
- UMR MIVEGEC IRD-CNRS-Université de Montpellier, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Sabrina Dyall
- Molecular Life Sciences Pole of Research Excellence, Department of Biosciences and Ocean Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Réduit 80837, Mauritius
| | - Simon Bouvy
- Ferme Marine de Mahébourg Ltd. Royal Road, Pointe aux Feuilles, Mauritius
| | | | | | - Yvan Bettarel
- UMR MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
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Zhang L, You H, Chen J, Huang B, Cui Y, Hossain KB, Chen Q, Cai M, Qian Q. Surface structures changes and biofilm communities development of degradable plastics during aging in coastal seawater. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 193:114996. [PMID: 37301614 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Biodegradable plastics (BPs) are a suitable alternative to conventional plastics. Still, their excessive or unplanned use may disrupt the abundance and community structure of the microbial population. To this end, a 58-day experiment in which biodegradable plastic objects, such as bags and boxes, were exposed to near-coastal seawater was conducted. They also assessed how they affected the diversity and organization of bacterial populations in seawater and on the surface of BPs products. It is evident that after the exposure time, both BP's bag and box products deteriorate in the ocean to varying degrees. The results of high-throughput sequencing of bacterial communities in seawater and those colonized on BPs products reveal significant differences in microbial community structures between seawater and BPs plastic samples. These suggest that the degradation of biodegradable plastics is shadowed by microorganisms and exposure time, while BP products influence the structural characteristics of microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhang
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China; Engineering Research Center of Polymer Green Recycling of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Huimin You
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Coastal and Ocean Management Institute, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; College of Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Jianfei Chen
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China; Engineering Research Center of Polymer Green Recycling of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Baoquan Huang
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China; Engineering Research Center of Polymer Green Recycling of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Yaozong Cui
- College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Kazi Belayet Hossain
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Coastal and Ocean Management Institute, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; College of Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Qinghua Chen
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China; Engineering Research Center of Polymer Green Recycling of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Minggang Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Coastal and Ocean Management Institute, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
| | - Qingrong Qian
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China; Engineering Research Center of Polymer Green Recycling of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China.
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Ormsby MJ, Akinbobola A, Quilliam RS. Plastic pollution and fungal, protozoan, and helminth pathogens - A neglected environmental and public health issue? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 882:163093. [PMID: 36996975 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Plastic waste is ubiquitous in the environment and can become colonised by distinct microbial biofilm communities, known collectively as the 'plastisphere.' The plastisphere can facilitate the increased survival and dissemination of human pathogenic prokaryotes (e.g., bacteria); however, our understanding of the potential for plastics to harbour and disseminate eukaryotic pathogens is lacking. Eukaryotic microorganisms are abundant in natural environments and represent some of the most important disease-causing agents, collectively responsible for tens of millions of infections, and millions of deaths worldwide. While prokaryotic plastisphere communities in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments are relatively well characterised, such biofilms will also contain eukaryotic species. Here, we critically review the potential for fungal, protozoan, and helminth pathogens to associate with the plastisphere, and consider the regulation and mechanisms of this interaction. As the volume of plastics in the environment continues to rise there is an urgent need to understand the role of the plastisphere for the survival, virulence, dissemination, and transfer of eukaryotic pathogens, and the effect this can have on environmental and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Ormsby
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.
| | - Ayorinde Akinbobola
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Richard S Quilliam
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
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Vaksmaa A, Polerecky L, Dombrowski N, Kienhuis MVM, Posthuma I, Gerritse J, Boekhout T, Niemann H. Polyethylene degradation and assimilation by the marine yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:68. [PMID: 37423910 PMCID: PMC10330194 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00267-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Ocean plastic pollution is a severe environmental problem but most of the plastic that has been released to the ocean since the 1950s is unaccounted for. Although fungal degradation of marine plastics has been suggested as a potential sink mechanism, unambiguous proof of plastic degradation by marine fungi, or other microbes, is scarce. Here we applied stable isotope tracing assays with 13C-labeled polyethylene to measure biodegradation rates and to trace the incorporation of plastic-derived carbon into individual cells of the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, which we isolated from the marine environment. 13C accumulation in the CO2 pool during 5-day incubation experiments with R. mucilaginosa and UV-irradiated 13C-labeled polyethylene as a sole energy and carbon source translated to degradation rates of 3.8% yr-1 of the initially added substrate. Furthermore, nanoSIMS measurements revealed substantial incorporation of polyethylene-derived carbon into fungal biomass. Our results demonstrate the potential of R. mucilaginosa to mineralize and assimilate carbon from plastics and suggest that fungal plastic degradation may be an important sink for polyethylene litter in the marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Vaksmaa
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands.
| | - Lubos Polerecky
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Nina Dombrowski
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Michiel V M Kienhuis
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ilsa Posthuma
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Gerritse
- Deltares, Unit Subsurface and Groundwater Systems, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Teun Boekhout
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Helge Niemann
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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