Biodegradable plastics in Mediterranean coastal environments feature contrasting microbial succession.
Sci Total Environ
; 928: 172288, 2024 Jun 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38599394
ABSTRACT
Plastic pollution of the ocean is a top environmental concern. Biodegradable plastics present a potential "solution" in combating the accumulation of plastic pollution, and their production is currently increasing. While these polymers will contribute to the future plastic marine debris budget, very little is known still about the behavior of biodegradable plastics in different natural environments. In this study, we molecularly profiled entire microbial communities on laboratory confirmed biodegradable polybutylene sebacate-co-terephthalate (PBSeT) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) films, and non-biodegradable conventional low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films that were incubated in situ in three different coastal environments in the Mediterranean Sea. Samples from a pelagic, benthic, and eulittoral habitat were taken at five timepoints during an incubation period of 22 months. We assessed the presence of potential biodegrading bacterial and fungal taxa and contrasted them against previously published in situ disintegration data of these polymers. Scanning electron microscopy imaging complemented our molecular data. Putative plastic degraders occurred in all environments, but there was no obvious "core" of shared plastic-specific microbes. While communities varied between polymers, the habitat predominantly selected for the underlying communities. Observed disintegration patterns did not necessarily match community patterns of putative plastic degraders.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Poluentes Químicos da Água
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Biodegradação Ambiental
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Plásticos Biodegradáveis
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article