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Plastisphere

A colony of limpets attached to a diving mask, found washed ashore on a beach

The plastisphere is a human-made ecosystem consisting of organisms able to live on plastic waste. Plastic marine debris, most notably microplastics, accumulates in aquatic environments and serves as a habitat for various types of microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi.[1][2] As of 2022, an estimated 51 trillion microplastics are floating in the surface water of the world's oceans.[3] A single 5mm piece of plastic can host 1,000s of different microbial species.[4] Some marine bacteria can break down plastic polymers and use the carbon as a source of energy.

Microbes interacting with the surface of plastics.

Plastic pollution acts as a more durable "ship" than biodegradable material for carrying the organisms over long distances.[5][6] This long-distance transportation can move microbes to different ecosystems and potentially introduce invasive species[1] as well as harmful algae.[7] The microorganisms found on the plastic debris comprise an entire ecosystem of autotrophs, heterotrophs and symbionts.[8] The microbial species found within plastisphere differ from other floating materials that naturally occur (i.e., feathers and algae) due to plastic's unique chemical nature and slow speed of biodegradation. In addition to microbes, insects have come to flourish in areas of the ocean that were previously uninhabitable. The sea skater, for example, has been able to reproduce on the hard surface provided by the floating plastic.[9]

  1. ^ a b Zettler ER, Mincer TJ, Amaral-Zettler LA (2 July 2013). "Life in the 'Plastisphere': Microbial Communities on Plastic Marine Debris". Environmental Science & Technology. 47 (13): 7137–7146. Bibcode:2013EnST...47.7137Z. doi:10.1021/es401288x. PMID 23745679. S2CID 10002632.
  2. ^ Kirstein, I. V., Wichels, A., Gullans, E., Krohne, G., & Gerdts, G. (2019). The Plastisphere – Uncovering tightly attached plastic "specific" microorganisms. PLoS ONE, 14(4), 1–17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0215859
  3. ^ "FAU Scientists Uncover 'Missing' Plastics Deep in the Ocean". www.fau.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  4. ^ Zettler E. "The "Plastisphere:" A new marine ecosystem | Smithsonian Ocean". ocean.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  5. ^ Thomas R (14 June 2021). "Plastic rafting: the invasive species hitching a ride on ocean litter". The Guardian.
  6. ^ Sahagun L (27 December 2013). "An ecosystem of our own making could pose a threat". Los Angeles Times.
  7. ^ "Behold the 'Plastisphere'". Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Archived from the original on 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  8. ^ "Scientists Discover Thriving Colonies of Microbes in Ocean 'Plastisphere'". Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Retrieved 2015-09-27.
  9. ^ "Our Trash Has Become A New Ocean Ecosystem Called "The Plastisphere"". Gizmodo. January 2014. Retrieved 2015-10-20.

Plastisphere

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