Microplastic-Associated Biofilms: A Comparison of Freshwater and Marine Environments

By J. Harrison, T. Hoellein, M. Sapp, A. Tagg, Y. Ju-Nam, J. Ojeda. 2018

163 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Microplastics (<5 mm particles) occur within both engineered and natural freshwater ecosystems, including wastewater treatment plants, lakes, rivers, and estuaries. While a significant proportion of microplastic pollution is likely sequestered within freshwater environments, these habitats also constitute an important conduit of microscopic polymer particles to oceans worldwide. The quantity of aquatic microplastic waste is predicted to dramatically increase over the next decade, but the fate and biological implications of this pollution are still poorly understood. A growing body of research has aimed to characterize the formation, composition, and spatiotemporal distribution of microplastic-associated (“plastisphere”) microbial biofilms. Plastisphere microorganisms have been suggested to play significant roles in pathogen transfer, modulation of particle buoyancy, and biodegradation of plastic polymers and co-contaminants, yet investigation of these topics within freshwater environments is at a very early stage. Here, what is known about marine plastisphere assemblages is systematically compared with up-to-date findings from freshwater habitats. Through analysis of key differences and likely commonalities between environments, we discuss how an integrated view of these fields of research will enhance our knowledge of the complex behavior and ecological impacts of microplastic pollutants.

Subfields: Biomaterials, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Pollution

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/dbcd1d2b17616405c66305f79984e057c9ee1845

How researchers see this paper

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In Biomaterials

1. S. Lambert
2. M. Wagner

In Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

1. S. Lambert
2. M. Wagner
3. S. Al-thawadi
4. L. Hoogenboom

In Pollution

1. C. Scherer
2. S. Lambert
3. M. Wagner
4. S. Al-thawadi
5. L. Hoogenboom

Citations in the corpus

• Interactions of Microplastics with Freshwater Biota (2018, background): “The formation of biofilms [86] can affect the interaction of MPs with biota on multiple levels.”