Bacterial Colonization of Microplastics in Sediments

What is it about?

Microplastics are emerging contaminants that have been found to accumulate within marine sediments worldwide. Despite recent research into plastic-associated microorganisms in seawater, the microbial colonization of microplastics in benthic habitats has not been studied. Here, we employ a 14-day microcosm experiment to investigate bacterial colonization of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) microplastics within three types of coastal marine sediment (ranging from sand to silt).

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Why is it important?

This work demonstrates that bacteria within coastal sediments can rapidly colonize microplastics, with evidence for the successional formation of "plastisphere"-specific bacterial assemblages dominated by Arcobacter and Colwellia spp. These genera have been previously affiliated with hydrocarbon degradation in marine habitats. Our data suggest that recruitment of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria on microplastics is likely to represent a shared feature between sediments and seawater.