Structural and Functional Characteristics of Microplastic Associated Biofilms in Response to Temporal Dynamics and Polymer Types

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology Vol. 107; no. 4; pp. 633 - 639
• Main Authors: Tu, Chen, Liu, Ying, Li, Lianzhen, Li, Yuan, Vogts, Angela, Luo, Yongming, Waniek, Joanna J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Addition polymerization; Aquatic Pollution; Bacteria; Biodegradation; biofilm; Biofilms; Chemical analysis; Colonization; Community structure; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Functional groups; Gene sequencing; genes; Hydrophobicity; Microplastics; Pollution; Polyethylene; Polyethylenes; Polymers; Polypropylene; polypropylenes; Polystyrene; Polystyrene resins; polystyrenes; Seawater; Selectivity; Soil Science & Conservation; Spectroscopy; Structure-function relationships; temporal variation; toxicology; Waste Water Technology; Water analysis; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Biodegradation; Biofilm; Morphology and structure; Microplastics; Microbial community
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-021-03333-1

The colonization of bacterial communities and biofilm formation on microplastics (MPs) have aroused great concern recently. However, the influence of time and polymer types on the structural and functional characteristics of biofilms remains unclear. In this study, three types of MPs (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) were exposed for different time periods (10, 20 and 30 days) in seawater using a microcosm experiment. Microscopic spectroscopy and high-throughput gene sequencing techniques were used to reveal the temporal changes of structural and functional characteristics of MPs associated biofilms. The results indicate that the biofilm formation is affected by both the incubation time and the polymer type. In addition, bacterial diversity and community structure in the biofilms show selectivity towards seawater, and tend to shift over time and among different polymer types. Moreover, biofilms are shown to harbor plastic degrading bacteria, leading to the changes of functional groups and surface hydrophobicity, and thereby enhancing the biodegradation of MPs.