The surface of marine plastic debris is a site of immense activity and contamination. Besides the pollution it is known for, plastic itself can be fouled by microorganisms that bind to its surface, and by other chemical pollutants which are drawn to or leached from the plastic. The composition of these leachates will depend on the additives used to customise the plastic based on the manufacturer’s needs (i.e. colour, heat-resistance) so will vary between plastics. However, the impact of this variation on the ‘plastisphere’ - the community of microorganisms on plastic -, which may consist of beneficial (i.e. bioremediative) or hazardous microorganisms, is poorly understood. We have therefore studied the impact of colourants and other plastic co-pollutants on entire plastisphere communities, and individual strains to understand which microbial activities (viz. pathogenicity) are facilitated and inhibited by co-pollutants. For our community-wide survey, metaproteomics - a technique that examines a full community’s expression of proteins - revealed which organisms were most active during co-pollutant exposure, and what their activities were. Our more focussed study of Rossellomorea aquimaris - a plastic-degrading microorganism - and Escherichia coli - our representative ‘pathogen’ - was then used to predict which organisms are most likely to prosper in a highly polluted biofilm. Such an understanding of this microbial response is of critical importance for understanding the bioremediative, or potentially dangerous nature of these transient communities.
- Күн бұрын
MASTS-SFC Saltire Webinar with Charlotte Lee (University of Stirling)
- Рет қаралды 67
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