Relative Influence of Plastic Debris Size and Shape, Chemical Composition and Phytoplankton-Bacteria Interactions in Driving Seawater Plastisphere Abundance, Diversity and Activity.

ABSTRACT: The thin film of life that inhabits all plastics in the oceans, so-called "plastisphere," has multiple effects on the fate and impacts of plastic in the marine environment. Here, we aimed to evaluate the relative influence of the plastic size, shape, chemical composition, and environmental changes such as a phytoplankton bloom in shaping the plastisphere abundance, diversity and activity. Polyethylene (PE) and polylactide acid (PLA) together with glass controls in the forms of meso-debris (18 mm diameter) and large-microplastics (LMP; 3 mm diameter), as well as small-microplastics (SMP) of 100 μm diameter with spherical or irregular shapes were immerged in seawater during 2 months. Results of bacterial abundance (confocal microscopy) and diversity (16S rRNA Illumina sequencing) indicated t

SUBMITTER: Cheng J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7838358 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature