Ecology and risks of the global plastisphere as a newly expanding microbial habitat
Plastic offers a new niche for microorganisms, the plastisphere. The ever-increasing emission of plastic waste makes it critical to understand the microbial ecology of the plastisphere and associated effects. Here, we present a global fingerprint of the plastisphere, analyzing samples collected from...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | The Innovation |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675823001716 |
| _version_ | 1797394773312536576 |
|---|---|
| author | Changchao Li Michael R. Gillings Chao Zhang Qinglin Chen Dong Zhu Jie Wang Kankan Zhao Qicheng Xu Polly Hangmei Leung Xiangdong Li Jian Liu Ling Jin |
| author_facet | Changchao Li Michael R. Gillings Chao Zhang Qinglin Chen Dong Zhu Jie Wang Kankan Zhao Qicheng Xu Polly Hangmei Leung Xiangdong Li Jian Liu Ling Jin |
| author_sort | Changchao Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plastic offers a new niche for microorganisms, the plastisphere. The ever-increasing emission of plastic waste makes it critical to understand the microbial ecology of the plastisphere and associated effects. Here, we present a global fingerprint of the plastisphere, analyzing samples collected from freshwater, seawater, and terrestrial ecosystems. The plastisphere assembles a distinct microbial community that has a clearly higher heterogeneity and a more deterministically dominated assembly compared to natural habitats. New coexistence patterns—loose and fragile networks with mostly specialist linkages among microorganisms that are rarely found in natural habitats—are seen in the plastisphere. Plastisphere microbiomes generally have a great potential to metabolize organic compounds, which could accelerate carbon turnover. Microorganisms involved in the nitrogen cycle are also altered in the plastisphere, especially in freshwater plastispheres, where a high abundance of denitrifiers may increase the release of nitrite (aquatic toxicant) and nitrous oxide (greenhouse gas). Enrichment of animal, plant, and human pathogens means that the plastisphere could become an increasingly mobile reservoir of harmful microorganisms. Our findings highlight that if the trajectory of plastic emissions is not reversed, the expanding plastisphere could pose critical planetary health challenges. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:24:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a72fa82930da4c10a7358e80ec01c366 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-6758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:24:32Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Innovation |
| spelling | doaj.art-a72fa82930da4c10a7358e80ec01c3662023-12-12T04:36:45ZengElsevierThe Innovation2666-67582024-01-0151100543Ecology and risks of the global plastisphere as a newly expanding microbial habitatChangchao Li0Michael R. Gillings1Chao Zhang2Qinglin Chen3Dong Zhu4Jie Wang5Kankan Zhao6Qicheng Xu7Polly Hangmei Leung8Xiangdong Li9Jian Liu10Ling Jin11Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, AustraliaEnvironment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaKey Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Urban Environment Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Urban Environment Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaInstitute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaJiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaDepartment of Health Technology and Informatics and Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, ChinaDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, ChinaEnvironment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China; Corresponding authorDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China; Corresponding authorPlastic offers a new niche for microorganisms, the plastisphere. The ever-increasing emission of plastic waste makes it critical to understand the microbial ecology of the plastisphere and associated effects. Here, we present a global fingerprint of the plastisphere, analyzing samples collected from freshwater, seawater, and terrestrial ecosystems. The plastisphere assembles a distinct microbial community that has a clearly higher heterogeneity and a more deterministically dominated assembly compared to natural habitats. New coexistence patterns—loose and fragile networks with mostly specialist linkages among microorganisms that are rarely found in natural habitats—are seen in the plastisphere. Plastisphere microbiomes generally have a great potential to metabolize organic compounds, which could accelerate carbon turnover. Microorganisms involved in the nitrogen cycle are also altered in the plastisphere, especially in freshwater plastispheres, where a high abundance of denitrifiers may increase the release of nitrite (aquatic toxicant) and nitrous oxide (greenhouse gas). Enrichment of animal, plant, and human pathogens means that the plastisphere could become an increasingly mobile reservoir of harmful microorganisms. Our findings highlight that if the trajectory of plastic emissions is not reversed, the expanding plastisphere could pose critical planetary health challenges.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675823001716 |
| spellingShingle | Changchao Li Michael R. Gillings Chao Zhang Qinglin Chen Dong Zhu Jie Wang Kankan Zhao Qicheng Xu Polly Hangmei Leung Xiangdong Li Jian Liu Ling Jin Ecology and risks of the global plastisphere as a newly expanding microbial habitat The Innovation |
| title | Ecology and risks of the global plastisphere as a newly expanding microbial habitat |
| title_full | Ecology and risks of the global plastisphere as a newly expanding microbial habitat |
| title_fullStr | Ecology and risks of the global plastisphere as a newly expanding microbial habitat |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecology and risks of the global plastisphere as a newly expanding microbial habitat |
| title_short | Ecology and risks of the global plastisphere as a newly expanding microbial habitat |
| title_sort | ecology and risks of the global plastisphere as a newly expanding microbial habitat |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675823001716 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT changchaoli ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT michaelrgillings ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT chaozhang ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT qinglinchen ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT dongzhu ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT jiewang ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT kankanzhao ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT qichengxu ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT pollyhangmeileung ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT xiangdongli ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT jianliu ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat AT lingjin ecologyandrisksoftheglobalplastisphereasanewlyexpandingmicrobialhabitat |