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Cited by 125Microplastics and Plastic PollutionMarine Biology and Ecology ResearchMicrobial Community Ecology and Physiology

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 97 of the 97 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Persistence of plastic debris and its colonization by bacterial communities after two decades on the abyssal seafloor

Open access
Krause, S., Molari, M., Gorb, E. V., Gorb, S. N., Kossel, E., Haeckel, M.·2020·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-020-66361-7PMC PMC7289819
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Abstract

The fate of plastic debris entering the oceans is largely unconstrained. Currently, intensified research is devoted to the abiotic and microbial degradation of plastic floating near the ocean surface for an extended period of time. In contrast, the impacts of environmental conditions in the deep sea on polymer properties and rigidity are virtually unknown. Here, we present unique results of plastic items identified to have been introduced into deep-sea sediments at a water depth of 4150 m in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean more than two decades ago. The results, including optical, spectroscopic, physical and microbial analyses, clearly demonstrate that the bulk polymer materials show no apparent sign of physical or chemical degradation. Solely the polymer surface layers showed reduced hydrophobicity, presumably caused by microbial colonization. The bacterial community present on the plastic items differed significantly (p < 0.1%) from those of the adjacent natural environment by a dominant presence of groups requiring steep redox gradients (Mesorhizobium, Sulfurimonas) and a remarkable decrease in diversity. The establishment of chemical gradients across the polymer surfaces presumably caused these conditions. Our findings suggest that plastic is stable over extended times under deep-sea conditions and that prolonged deposition of polymer items at the seafloor may induce local oxygen depletion at the sediment-water interface.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41598-020-66361-7

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Figures

Figure 1 Bacterial dominant genera (cut-off ≥2%) for plastic material (P1–4), manganese nodules (N1–3), reference (R1–3) and DISCOL sediments (C1–3). Cluster on top of bar plot showed dissimilarity in community structure, as defined by Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index based on Hellinger-transformed OTU abundance data. Stars show the genera highly abundant in plastic samples (ALDEx2: glm). P1: curd box; P2: curd box lid; P3: plastic bag-metal; P4: plastic bag-no metal; un.: unclassified; **glm adjusted p < 0.01; ***glm adjusted p < 0.001; †exclusively present on the plastic samples.
Figure 1 Bacterial dominant genera (cut-off ≥2%) for plastic material (P1–4), manganese nodules (N1–3), reference (R1–3) and DISCOL sediments (C1–3). Cluster on top of bar plot showed dissimilarity in community structure, as defined by Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index based on Hellinger-transformed OTU abundance data. Stars show the genera highly abundant in plastic samples (ALDEx2: glm). P1: curd box; P2: curd box lid; P3: plastic bag-metal; P4: plastic bag-no metal; un.: unclassified; **glm adjusted p < 0.01; ***glm adjusted p < 0.001; †exclusively present on the plastic samples.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2 Two-dimensional principal component analysis (PCA) for bacteria community structure at genus level resolution. Hellinger-transformed genus abundance data was used for the PCA. Only genera with Pearson correlation coefficient ≤ −0.75 or ≥0.75 were plotted. The circle indicates a Pearson correlation coefficient of 1. Un.: unclassified; Und.: undisturbed; Ref.: reference.
Figure 2 Two-dimensional principal component analysis (PCA) for bacteria community structure at genus level resolution. Hellinger-transformed genus abundance data was used for the PCA. Only genera with Pearson correlation coefficient ≤ −0.75 or ≥0.75 were plotted. The circle indicates a Pearson correlation coefficient of 1. Un.: unclassified; Und.: undisturbed; Ref.: reference.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 3 SEM images of the cleaned plastic sample surfaces and reference material. (a) curd box sample; (b) curd box reference; (c) lid sample; (d) lid-reference; (e) plastic bag-no metal; (f) plastic bag-metal; (g) plastic bag reference material. Scale bars indicate a length of 5 µm.
Figure 3 SEM images of the cleaned plastic sample surfaces and reference material. (a) curd box sample; (b) curd box reference; (c) lid sample; (d) lid-reference; (e) plastic bag-no metal; (f) plastic bag-metal; (g) plastic bag reference material. Scale bars indicate a length of 5 µm.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 4 Box-Whisker-plots of contact angles of water droplets on cleaned SO242 plastic samples and reference material (n = 15, each). Brackets indicate corresponding samples and reference material for mean value comparisons (A, B t-test; C ANOVA and Tukey-test). *p ≥ 0.05, **p ≤ 0.001, ***p ≤ 0.0001.
Figure 4 Box-Whisker-plots of contact angles of water droplets on cleaned SO242 plastic samples and reference material (n = 15, each). Brackets indicate corresponding samples and reference material for mean value comparisons (A, B t-test; C ANOVA and Tukey-test). *p ≥ 0.05, **p ≤ 0.001, ***p ≤ 0.0001.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 5 Overview (inlay) and DEA site map. The overview map was generated using the GMT 3.0 software package (http://gmt.soest.hawaii.edu/home) and the ETOPO1 bathymetry (https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/global/). Bathymetric data of the DEA site were acquired with the EM122 multibeam on board the RV SONNE. Multibeam data were processed using the QIMERA software from QPS. The map with station positions was created in ArcGIS. The final grid cell size of the displayed bathymetric raster was set to 50 × 50 m. Contour intervals are 10 m. Blue markers show locations of waste items identified on original DISCOL OFOS images during the cruises SO61, 64, and 77 (1989–1996). Black markers indicate positions of waste items identified during SO242. Arrows denote the two positions of plastic waste items investigated in the present study.
Figure 5 Overview (inlay) and DEA site map. The overview map was generated using the GMT 3.0 software package (http://gmt.soest.hawaii.edu/home) and the ETOPO1 bathymetry (https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/global/). Bathymetric data of the DEA site were acquired with the EM122 multibeam on board the RV SONNE. Multibeam data were processed using the QIMERA software from QPS. The map with station positions was created in ArcGIS. The final grid cell size of the displayed bathymetric raster was set to 50 × 50 m. Contour intervals are 10 m. Blue markers show locations of waste items identified on original DISCOL OFOS images during the cruises SO61, 64, and 77 (1989–1996). Black markers indicate positions of waste items identified during SO242. Arrows denote the two positions of plastic waste items investigated in the present study.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 6 Plastic items used for the present study. Left: station 198, curd box with lid and two adjacent manganese nodules; right: station 213, plastic bag with aluminum can (inlet). Scale bars approx. 10 cm. Seafloor images taken by GEOMAR ROV KIEL 6000; Inlay image provided by Dr. M. Haeckel, GEOMAR.
Figure 6 Plastic items used for the present study. Left: station 198, curd box with lid and two adjacent manganese nodules; right: station 213, plastic bag with aluminum can (inlet). Scale bars approx. 10 cm. Seafloor images taken by GEOMAR ROV KIEL 6000; Inlay image provided by Dr. M. Haeckel, GEOMAR.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Citations

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1 retracted

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Grassie, N. & Scott, G. Polymer degradation & stabilization. (Cambridge University Press, 1998).
  2. Wypych, G. Handbook of polymers. (Elsevier, 2016).
  3. Elhariry, H. M. Biofilm formation by endospore-forming bacilli on plastic surface under some food-related and environmental stress conditions. Global J Biotechnol Biochem 3, 69–78 (2008).

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Metadata

Authors
Krause, S., Molari, M., Gorb, E. V., Gorb, S. N., Kossel, E., & Haeckel, M.
Affiliations
  • GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (DE)
  • Max Planck Society (DE)
  • Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (DE)
Corresponding author
Krause, S.
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2020-06-11
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
9484-9484
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41598-020-66361-7
PMC
PMC7289819
OpenAlex
W3035237867
Cited by
125
References
97
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 6
FWCI
4.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) (submittedVersion)
  • Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung (Alfred-Wegener-Institut) (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (03F0707A)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine Biology and Ecology Research
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
Keywords
plastic debris, deep-sea sediments, abyssal seafloor, microbial colonization of plastic, bacterial communities, polymer degradation, hydrophobicity, redox gradients, Sulfurimonas, Mesorhizobium, sediment-water interface, oxygen depletion
MeSH terms
Bacteria, Oceans and Seas, Pacific Ocean, Plastics, Seawater, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Geologic Sediments

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