Isolation and characterization of marine microorganisms capable of degrading plastics.

ABSTRACT: The escalating crisis of global plastic pollution has prompted increasing efforts toward the identification of plastic-degrading microorganisms as environmentally sustainable solutions. Despite marine ecosystems being the most affected, the systematic exploration of culturable plastic-degrading microorganisms remains critically underexplored. Here, we established the largest marine microbial repository for plastic biodegradation, comprising 1,377 bacterial and 202 fungal strains isolated through optimized culture strategies targeting 13 plastic polymers. Methodological benchmarking revealed selective enrichment combined with carbon-supplemented dual-layer plating as the most effective isolation approach. Plastic substrate specificity drove phylogenetic divergence among degraders, with B

SUBMITTER: Zeng Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12817902 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature