es9b03659_si_001.pdf (5.86 MB)
Colonization Characteristics of Bacterial Communities on Plastic Debris Influenced by Environmental Factors and Polymer Types in the Haihe Estuary of Bohai Bay, China
journal contribution
posted on 2019-09-04, 21:43 authored by Wenjie Li, Ying Zhang, Nan Wu, Ze Zhao, Wei’an Xu, Yongzheng Ma, Zhiguang NiuThe colonization characteristics
of bacterial communities on microplastics
or plastic debris (PD) have generated great concern in recent years.
However, the influence of environmental factors and polymer types
on the formation of bacterial communities on PD in estuarine areas
is less studied. To gain additional insights, five types of PD (polyvinyl
chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyurethane)
were exposed for three-time periods (two weeks, four weeks, and six
weeks) in the Haihe Estuary. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to
identify the bacterial communities on PD, in seawater, and in sediment
samples. The results indicate that the average growth rate of a biofilm
is affected by nutrients (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) and
salinity. Furthermore, salinity is the primary factor affecting bacterial
diversity of the colonies on PD. In addition, genera of bacteria show
selectivity toward the PD polymer type and tend to colonize their
preferred substrate. Compared with seawater and sediment, PD could
be carriers for enrichment of Vibrio in the estuarine
environment with salinity ≥26 (± 2‰), which might
increase the ecological risk of PD in marine environments.