Microplastics provide new microbial niches in aquatic environments

Abstract

Microplastics in the biosphere are currently of great environmental concern because of their potential toxicity for aquatic biota and human health and association with pathogenic microbiota. Microplastics can occur in high abundance in all aquatic environments, including oceans, rivers and lakes. Recent findings have highlighted the role of microplastics as important vectors for microorganisms, which can form fully developed biofilms on this artificial substrate. Microplastics therefore provide new microbial niches in the aquatic environment, and the developing biofilms may significantly differ in microbial composition compared to natural free-living or particle-associated microbial populations in the surrounding water. In this article, we discuss the composition and ecological function of the microbial communities found in microplastic biofilms. The potential factors that influence the richness and diversity of such microbial microplastic communities are also evaluated. Microbe-microbe and microbe-substrate interactions in microplastic biofilms have been little studied and are not well understood. Multiomics tools together with morphological, physiological and biochemical analyses should be combined to provide a more comprehensive overview on the ecological role of microplastic biofilms. These new microbial niches have so far unknown consequences for microbial ecology and environmental processes in aquatic ecosystems. More knowledge is required on the microbial community composition of microplastic biofilms and their ecological functions in order to better evaluate consequences for the environment and animal health, including humans, especially since the worldwide abundance of microplastics is predicted to dramatically increase. Key Points • Bacteria are mainly studied in community analyses: fungi are neglected. • Microbial colonization of microplastics depends on substrate, location and time. • Community ecology is a promising approach to investigate microbial colonization. • Biodegradable plastics, and ecological roles of microplastic biofilms, need analysis.

Surgical face masks as a potential source for microplastic pollution in the COVID-19 scenario

“…The big deal is also arising nowadays as microplastics as a niche for microbial and developing biofilms. The microbial constituents may significantly different as compared with the natural freely living microorganism communities in the surrounding aquatic environment ( Yang et al, 2020 ). This can affect microbial habitual and the environmental processes in aquatic ecosystems.…”

Environmental challenges induced by extensive use of face masks during COVID-19: A review and potential solutions

“…It may destroy them directly, or weaken them, rendering them more vulnerable to other threats ( Ferraro and Failler, 2020 ). Ingested plastic can interfere with impair reproduction, growth and development of young ( Klemeš et al, 2020b ; Yang et al, 2020 ). Further, it can also cause entanglement, which lead to death in aquatic fauna like birds and other under water animals.…”

“…Further, it can also cause entanglement, which lead to death in aquatic fauna like birds and other under water animals. Fragmentation of the macro plastic in the mask could occur due to various abiotic factors such as photodegradation, weathering, corrosion, and aquatic immersion forming the secondary micro plastics ( Yang et al, 2020 ). Hence, bio accumulation of such microplastic occurs in the major food web to human existence and cause accumulation of toxins.…”

“… Images of plastic covered shorelines or charismatic megafauna entangled, or ingesting plastics are visually impactful. ( Stafford and Jones, 2019 ; Yang et al, 2020 ) Economical Environmental and social impacts of plastic and plastic particles. The clean-up activities, lifesaving activities of the aquatic bodies are expensive.…”

Immunotoxicity and intestinal effects of nano- and microplastics: a review of the literature

“…Although few data on the intestine per se are available, the above-cited studies demonstrate that microplastics can add to or synergize the adverse effects of the toxics that they contain or have absorbed. Furthermore, microplastics house distinct communities of microbes, that can form fully developed surface biofilms [128,129]. Plastic debris supports the growth of specific bacterial consortia, including bacterial pathogens.…”