Marine biofilms constitute a bank of hidden microbial diversity and functional potential

Zhang, Weipeng; Ding, Wei; Li, Yongxin; Tam, Chun Kit; Bougouffa, Salim; Wang, Ruojun; Pei, Bite; Chiang, Ho Yin; Leung, Pok Man; Lu, Yanhong; Sun, Jin; Fu, He; Bajic, Vladimir B.; Liu, Hongbin; Webster, Nicole S.; Qian, Pei‐Yuan

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-08463-z

Cited by 126 publications

(131 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Surface adhesion presents organisms with advantages, for example, greater nutritional access, physical protection, and environmental stability. Biofilm inhabitants also excrete chemical cues that affect invertebrate recruitment and forms of metabolic cooperation (e.g., quorum sensing; Socransky & Haffajee, ; Zhang et al, ). Further supporting the important ecological role of biofilms, Zhang et al () recently identified 7,300 new species from metagenomics data from biofilm‐forming microorganisms.…”

Section: Fate Of Microplastics In the Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most previous work to identify marine species focused on free‐living forms. The additions of Zhang et al () increased the known microbial diversity of the oceans by more than 20%. Clearly, factors that influence or alter the formation and evolution of biofilm communities may have profound impacts on ecological communities in aquatic systems, in general.…”

Section: Fate Of Microplastics In the Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Global Perspective on Microplastics

Hale¹,

Seeley²,

Guardia³

et al. 2020

JGR Oceans

733

270

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Society has become increasingly reliant on plastics since commercial production began in about 1950. Their versatility, stability, light weight, and low production costs have fueled global demand. Most plastics are initially used and discarded on land. Nonetheless, the amount of microplastics in some oceanic compartments is predicted to double by 2030. To solve this global problem, we must understand plastic composition, physical forms, uses, transport, and fragmentation into microplastics (and nanoplastics). Plastic debris/microplastics arise from land disposal, wastewater treatment, tire wear, paint failure, textile washing, and at-sea losses. Riverine and atmospheric transport, storm water, and disasters facilitate releases. In surface waters plastics/microplastics weather, biofoul, aggregate, and sink, are ingested by organisms and redistributed by currents. Ocean sediments are likely the ultimate destination. Plastics release additives, concentrate environmental contaminants, and serve as substrates for biofilms, including exotic and pathogenic species. Microplastic abundance increases as fragment size decreases, as does the proportion of organisms capable of ingesting them. Particles <20 μm may penetrate cell membranes, exacerbating risks. Exposure can compromise feeding, metabolic processes, reproduction, and behavior. But more investigation is required to draw definitive conclusions. Human ingestion of contaminated seafood and water is a concern. Microplastics indoors present yet uncharacterized risks, magnified by the time we spend inside (>90%) and the abundance of polymeric products therein. Scientific challenges include improving microplastic sampling and characterization approaches, understanding long-term behavior, additive bioavailability, and organismal and ecosystem health risks. Solutions include improving globally based pollution prevention, developing degradable polymers and additives, and reducing consumption/expanding plastic reuse.

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Section: Fate Of Microplastics In the Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fate Of Microplastics In the Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

Hale¹,

Seeley²,

Guardia³

et al. 2020

JGR Oceans

733

270

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Future studies on marine biofilms addressing the exploration of their biodiversity [129] and their ecological role in ecosystem functioning should be encouraged, also considering the role of microbes as catalysts of biogeochemical nutrient cycling [130,131]. Marine biofilms could also be used as indicators of water quality, in relation to the well-known ability of microbes as sentinels of environmental changes in several temperate and polar marine environments [132][133][134] as well as in tropical coral reef ecosystems [135].…”

Section: Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Caruso¹

2020

JMSE

124

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Microbial biofilms are biological structures composed of surface-attached microbial communities embedded in an extracellular polymeric matrix. In aquatic environments, the microbial colonization of submerged surfaces is a complex process involving several factors, related to both environmental conditions and to the physical-chemical nature of the substrates. Several studies have addressed this issue; however, more research is still needed on microbial biofilms in marine ecosystems. After a brief report on environmental drivers of biofilm formation, this study reviews current knowledge of microbial community attached to artificial substrates, as obtained by experiments performed on several material types deployed in temperate and extreme polar marine ecosystems. Depending on the substrate, different microbial communities were found, sometimes highlighting the occurrence of species-specificity. Future research challenges and concluding remarks are also considered. Emphasis is given to future perspectives in biofilm studies and their potential applications, related to biofouling prevention (such as cell-to-cell communication by quorum sensing or improved knowledge of drivers/signals affecting biological settlement) as well as to the potential use of microbial biofilms as sentinels of environmental changes and new candidates for bioremediation purposes.

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“…We showed that ALAN can affect even these naturally highly stressed communities, either directly or indirectly by affecting positive species interactions. This might impair a variety of key ecosystem functions, including fluxes of chemical elements and degradation and recycling of organic matter (Dang & Lovell, ; Falkowski, Barber, & Smetacek, ; Hölker et al, and literature therein), as well as still unknown functional potentials of microbial biofilms (Zhang et al, ). We believe that night light pollution must be considered as an additional key driver of change in these systems, able to interact with or add to global and local stressors currently impinging on coastal areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial light at night erases positive interactions across trophic levels

et al. 2019

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Artificial light at night (ALAN) is one of the most recently recognized sources of anthropogenic disturbance, with potentially severe effects on biological systems that are still to be fully explored. Among marine ecosystems, high‐shore habitats are those more likely to be impacted by ALAN, due to a more intense exposition to outdoor nocturnal lightings (mostly from lamps along coastal streets and promenades, or within harbours, ports and marinas). By performing in situ nocturnal manipulations of a direct source of white LED light and presence of herbivores in a Mediterranean high‐shore habitat, we assessed the interactive effects of light pollution and grazing on two key functional components of the epilithic microbial community (the cyanobacteria, as the main photoautotrophic component, and the other bacteria, mainly dominated by heterotrophs) developing on rocky shores. Results showed an unexpected increase in the diversity of epilithic bacterial biofilm at unlit sites in the presence of grazers, that was more evident on the other (mainly heterotrophic) bacterial component, when giving weight to more abundant families. This effect was likely related to the mechanical removal of dead cells through the grazing activity of consumers. ALAN significantly modified this scenario, by reducing the density of grazers and thus erasing their effects on bacteria, and by increasing the diversity of more abundant cyanobacterial families. Overall, direct and indirect effects on ALAN resulted in a significant increase in the diversity of the photoautotrophic component and a decrease in the heterotrophic one, likely affecting key ecosystem functions acting on rocky shore habitats. ALAN may represent a threat for natural systems through the annihilation of positive interactions across trophic levels, potentially impairing the relationship between biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems and interacting with other global and local stressors currently impinging on coastal areas. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Marine biofilms constitute a bank of hidden microbial diversity and functional potential

Cited by 126 publications

References 67 publications

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

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

Artificial light at night erases positive interactions across trophic levels

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