Diversity of marine bacteria growing on leachates from virgin and weathered plastic: Insights into potential degraders.

Plastic debris in the ocean releases chemical compounds that can be toxic to marine fauna. It was recently found that some marine bacteria can degrade such leachates, but information on the diversity of these bacteria is mostly lacking. In this study, we analysed the bacterial diversity growing on leachates from new low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and a mix of naturally weathered plastic, collected from beach sand.

Structure and activity of marine bacterial communities responding to plastic leachates.

Plastic in the ocean releases organic compounds that are able to enter the marine dissolved organic carbon pool and be utilized by heterotrophic bacteria. However, no information is known about which groups of bacteria are able to grow and degrade plastic leachates. Here we characterized a marine bacterial community from the NW Mediterranean Sea growing on plastic leachates and quantified its total activity.

Depuration reduces microplastic content in wild and farmed mussels.

Plastic pollution is a pervasive problem to marine life. This study aimed (1) to investigate levels of microplastic in wild and farmed mussels (Perna perna), and (2) to assess the effectiveness of depuration in reducing microplastics. Wild and farmed mussels were sampled from Guanabara Bay (Southwestern Atlantic).