Environmental Factors Support the Formation of Specific Bacterial Assemblages on Microplastics.

ABSTRACT: While the global distribution of microplastics (MP) in the marine environment is currently being critically evaluated, the potential role of MP as a vector for distinct microbial assemblages or even pathogenic bacteria is hardly understood. To gain a deeper understanding, we investigated how different in situ conditions contribute to the composition and specificity of MP-associated bacterial communities in relation to communities on natural particles. Polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), and wooden pellets were incubated for 2 weeks along an environmental gradient, ranging from marine (coastal Baltic Sea) to freshwater (waste water treatment plant, WWTP) conditions. The associated assemblages as well as the water communities were investigated applying high-throughput 16S rRNA gene s

SUBMITTER: Oberbeckmann S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5785724 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature