The DOI matches its Crossref record; 144 of the 144 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Marine Microbial Assemblages on Microplastics: Diversity, Adaptation, and Role in Degradation
Open accessAbstract
We have known for more than 45 years that microplastics in the ocean are carriers of microbially dominated assemblages. However, only recently has the role of microbial interactions with microplastics in marine ecosystems been investigated in detail. Research in this field has focused on three main areas: ( a) the establishment of plastic-specific biofilms (the so-called plastisphere); ( b) enrichment of pathogenic bacteria, particularly members of the genus Vibrio, coupled to a vector function of microplastics; and ( c) the microbial degradation of microplastics in the marine environment. Nevertheless, the relationships between marine microorganisms and microplastics remain unclear. In this review, we deduce from the current literature, new comparative analyses, and considerations of microbial adaptation concerning plastic degradation that interactions between microorganisms and microplastic particles should have rather limited effects on the ocean ecosystems. The majority of microorganisms growing on microplastics seem to belong to opportunistic colonists that do not distinguish between natural and artificial surfaces. Thus, microplastics do not pose a higher risk than natural particles to higher life forms by potentially harboring pathogenic bacteria. On the other hand, microplastics in the ocean represent recalcitrant substances for microorganisms that are insufficient to support prokaryotic metabolism and will probably not be microbially degraded in any period of time relevant to human society. Because we cannot remove microplastics from the ocean, proactive action regarding research on plastic alternatives and strategies to prevent plastic entering the environment should be taken promptly.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“In contrast to degradation rates, microbial PE mineralization rates in the marine environment have not yet been determined (Jacquin et al., 2019;Oberbeckmann and Labrenz, 2020).”
From A stable isotope assay with 13C-labeled polyethylene to investigate plastic mineralization mediated by Rhodococcus ruber (2023) · cites this paper as Oberbeckmann and Labrenz, 2020
In the citing paper
“Furthermore, several microbes were found that seemingly degrade some plastic polymers directly, 32,33 though it is at present debated if and in how far such metabolic traits exist in the marine environment and/or substantially contribute to plastic removal from the ocean environment.[34][35][36]”
From The fate of plastic in the ocean environment – a minireview (2021) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“Despite the growing body of evidence that microbial degradation of conventional plastics exists, it is still a matter of debate whether this proceeds in the ocean, and to what extend it provides a sink for PMD.36,70,114,115”
From The fate of plastic in the ocean environment – a minireview (2021) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“Earlier works could show that a diversity of microbes colonise PMD”
From The fate of plastic in the ocean environment – a minireview (2021) · cites this paper as [36]
In the citing paper
“some evidence exists that these not only comprise opportunistic communities, but that the different polymers might select for a specic, plastic-related community.36,70,73”
From The fate of plastic in the ocean environment – a minireview (2021) · cites this paper as [36]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean
Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., Narayan, R., & Law, K. L. (2015) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1260352 · Cited by 13,163
Microplastics in the marine environment
Andrady, A. L. (2011) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.05.030 · Cited by 8,105
Lost at sea: where is all the plastic?
Thompson, R. C., Olsen, Y., Mitchell, R. P., Davis, A., Rowland, S. J., John, A. W. G., McGonigle, D., & Russell, A. E. (2004) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1094559 · Cited by 7,765
Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments
Barnes, D. K. A., Galgani, F., Thompson, R. C., & Barlaz, M. (2009) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0205 · Cited by 6,126
Hidalgo-Ruz, V., Gutow, L., Thompson, R. C., & Thiel, M. (2012) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es2031505 · Cited by 5,440
Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Woldwide: Sources and Sinks
Browne, M. A., Crump, P., Niven, S. J., Teuten, E. L., Tonkin, A., Galloway, T. S., & Thompson, R. C. (2011) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es201811s · Cited by 4,838
Eriksen, M., Lebreton, L. C. M., Carson, H. S., Thiel, M., Moore, C. J., Borerro, J. C., Galgani, F., Ryan, P. G., & Reisser, J. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111913 · Cited by 4,710
The pollution of the marine environment by plastic debris: a review.
Derraik, J. G. B. (2002) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/s0025-326x(02)00220-5 · Cited by 4,042
Life in the “plastisphere”: microbial communities on plastic marine debris
Zettler, E. R., Mincer, T. J., & Amaral-Zettler, L. A. (2013) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es401288x · Cited by 3,368 · cited 7×
“Zettler et al. 2013).”
BackgroundInfluentialA bacterium that degrades and assimilates poly(ethylene terephthalate)
Yoshida, S., Hiraga, K., Takehana, T., Taniguchi, I., Yamaji, H., Maeda, Y., Toyohara, K., Miyamoto, K., Kimura, Y., & Oda, K. (2016) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aad6359 · Cited by 3,367
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Balasubramanian V, 2010, Lett. Appl. Microbiol., 51, 205
- Costa MF, 2011, J. Coast. Res., 64, 339
- PlasticsEurope, 2018, PlasticsEurope
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–300 of 470
Microplastics’ and Nanoplastics’ Interactions with Microorganisms: A Bibliometric Study
Grande‐Tovar, C. D., Carrascal-Hernández, D. C., Trilleras, J. E., Mora, K., & Arana, V. A. (2022) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su142214761 · Cited by 23
Freshwater plastispheres as a vector for foodborne bacteria and viruses
Witsø, I. L., Basson, A., Vinje, H., Llarena, A., Salas-Bringas, C., Aspholm, M. E., Wasteson, Y., & Myrmel, M. (2023) · Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1111/1462-2920.16536 · Cited by 22
Li, L., Zhang, Y., Kang, S., Wang, S., Gao, T., Wang, Z., Luo, X., Kang, Q., & Sajjad, W. (2024) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124630 · Cited by 22
Evolution of prokaryotic colonisation of greenhouse plastics discarded into the environment
Martínez-Campos, S., Pissaridou, P., Drakou, K., Shammas, C., Andreou, K., González-Pleiter, M., Fernández‐Piñas, F., Leganés, F., Rosal, R., Koutinas, M., et al. (2022) · Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113213 · Cited by 22
Briand, J., Pollet, T., Misson, B., Cédric Garnier, A., Lejars, M., Maintenay, M., Barry-Martinet, R., Portas, A., Ghiglione, J., & Bressy, C. (2022) · Frontiers in Marine Science · doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.746383 · Cited by 21
Audrézet, F., Pochon, X., Floerl, O., Guen, M.-J. L., Trochel, B., Gambarini, V. M. D. O., Lear, G., & Zaiko, A. (2022) · Frontiers in Marine Science · doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.891183 · Cited by 20
“Temporal Succession of Bacterial and Eukaryotic Assemblages on Bio-Polymers Consistent with several earlier studies (Oberbeckmann et al., 2014; Zaiko et al., 2016; Oberbeckmann and Labrenz, 2020), our results revealed strong temporal patterns associated with both bacterial and eukaryotic community structure on all tes…”
ResultLacerda, A. L., Briand, J., Lenoble, V., Oreste, E. Q., Kessler, F., & Pedrotti, M. L. (2024) · Microorganisms · doi:10.3390/microorganisms12030444 · Cited by 21
“Furthermore, research on the role of plastisphere organisms in biogeochemical cycles, such as diazotrophic bacteria, particularly on plastics found in natural environments, is crucial to determine their impact on the functioning of the global ocean.”
BackgroundKumar, M., Kumar, R., Chaudhary, D., & Jha, B. (2022) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113732 · Cited by 15
Tagg, A. S., Sperlea, T., Labrenz, M., Harrison, J. P., Ojeda, J. J., & Sapp, M. (2022) · Microorganisms · doi:10.3390/microorganisms10091775 · Cited by 20
“It has been demonstrated across a variety of different studies that biofilm communities are far more linked to other factors, such as location or habitat, than by the composition of the substrate [25,34].”
BackgroundSelf-citationMicrobial Biofilms Colonizing Plastic Substrates in the Ross Sea (Antarctica)
Caroppo, C., Azzaro, M., Dell’Acqua, O., Azzaro, F., Maimone, G., Rappazzo, A. C., Raffa, F., & Caruso, G. (2022) · Journal of Marine Science and Engineering · doi:10.3390/jmse10111714 · Cited by 19
Parida, D., Sangtani, R., & Bala, K. (2023) · International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation · doi:10.1016/j.ibiod.2023.105581 · Cited by 20
Sababadichetty, L., Miltgen, G., Vincent, B., Guilhaumon, F., Lenoble, V., Thibault, M., Bureau, S., Tortosa, P., Bouvier, T. C., & Jourand, P. (2023) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115911 · Cited by 22
Microplastics in food: Sources, distribution, health impacts, and regulation
Xu, J., Tang, M., & Xu, X. (2025) · Journal of Food Composition and Analysis · doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2025.107274 · Cited by 22
Pathogens transported by plastic debris: does this vector pose a risk to aquatic organisms?
Bowley, J., Baker‐Austin, C., Michell, S., & Lewis, C. N. (2022) · Emerging Topics in Life Sciences · doi:10.1042/etls20220022 · Cited by 21
Microplastics pollution in Australia: Sources, impacts, and mitigation strategies
Hossain, R., Ghose, A., & Sahajwalla, V. (2024) · Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.cscee.2024.101036 · Cited by 23
Effect of Meso-, Micro-, and Nano-Plastic Waste on the Benthos
Anani, O. A., Adetunji, C. O., Anani, G. A., Olomukoro, J. O., Imoobe, T. O., Enuneku, A. A., & Tongo, I. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-16-5403-9_12 · Cited by 19
Hajjar, C., Bulle, C., & Boulay, A. (2023) · The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment · doi:10.1007/s11367-023-02212-7 · Cited by 20
“Intense forcing is mainly provided in coastal zones where macroplastics entrapped near the shore are fragmented and generated secondary MPs are carried to the ocean by winds and waves (Chubarenko et al. 2018; Oberbeckmann and Labrenz 2020).”
InfluentialTransport of layered and spherical microplastics in aqueous ecosystems: a review
Ramesh, K., Chellam, P. V., & Sundaram, B. (2024) · Environmental Chemistry Letters · doi:10.1007/s10311-024-01730-6 · Cited by 19
“Later, these complex chemical mixtures with biofilm trouble the microplastics recovery and accessibility to biodegradation and affect product quality while chemical upcycling (Oberbeckmann and Labrenz 2020).”
Büks, F., & Kaupenjohann, M. (2022) · SOIL · doi:10.5194/soil-8-373-2022 · Cited by 19
“Although plastic is unlikely to serve as a major substrate for microbes due to its large molecular size, high chemical stability, and low bioavailability (Oberbeckmann and Labrenz, 2020), there is indication that biofilm cover causes the alteration of its chemical properties.”
BackgroundTeiba, I. I., El-Bilawy, E. H., Abouelsaad, I. A., Shehata, A. I., Alhoshy, M., Habib, Y. J., Abu‐Elala, N. M., El-Khateeb, N. M. M., Belal, E. B., & Hussain, W. A. M. (2024) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-024-35520-y · Cited by 19
“This coloni‑ zation is significant for two reasons: (a) microplastics may serve as long‑term vectors for microorganisms, including pathogens, and (b) microbes might degrade microplas‑ tics, contributing to the bioremediation of plastic pollution (Oberbeckmann and Labrenz 2020).”
Antibiotic resistance in plastisphere
Joo, S. H., Knauer, K. M., Su, C., & Toborek, M. J. (2024) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2024.115217 · Cited by 17
Mulky, L., Valiaparampil, J. G., & Divyashree, M. S. (2025) · Sustainable Environment · doi:10.1080/27658511.2025.2516898 · Cited by 20
“…an insignificant effect on the microbial community that settles on them owing to their inactivity, and it is increasingly apparent that the majority of the microorganisms settled on plastics are similar to those that would settle on any natural or artificial ones (Oberbeckmann & Labrenz, 2020).”
Synergistic biodegradation of polyethylene by experimentally evolved bacterial biofilms
Li, S., Liu, J., Su, L., Qiu, J., Lin, L., Kovács, Á. T., & Lin, Y. (2025) · The ISME Journal · doi:10.1093/ismejo/wraf223 · Cited by 18
“Recent reviews have explored microbial community composition in microplastic environments and their roles in plastic biodegradation [3, 10, 11].”
AQUATIC PLASTICS WASTE BIODEGRADATION USING PLASTIC DEGRADING MICROBES
Asiandu, A. P., Wahyudi, A. H., & Sari, S. W. (2021) · Journal of Microbiology Biotechnology and Food Sciences · doi:10.55251/jmbfs.3724 · Cited by 20
“Because of their ability to break aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons including petroleum and pesticides, some members of the family are widely used in bioremediation efforts (Rosenberg et al., 2014; Kertesz et al., 2017; Oberbeckmann and Labrenz, 2020).”
BackgroundInfluentialChomiak, K. M., Owens‐Rios, W. A., Bangkong, C. M., Day, S. W., Eddingsaas, N. C., Hoffman, M. J., Hudson, A. O., & Tyler, A. C. (2024) · Water · doi:10.3390/w16020348 · Cited by 21
Vass, M., Ramasamy, K. P., & Andersson, A. (2024) · Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1111/1462-2920.16618 · Cited by 17
“These particles serve as a floating substrate for microbial growth and, thus, can host and transport numerous microbial species (Oberbeckmann & Labrenz, 2020).”
BackgroundYang, S., Xu, W., Zhang, K., Hu, J., Gao, Y., Cui, G., Grossart, H., & Luo, Z.-H. (2022) · International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation · doi:10.1016/j.ibiod.2022.105461 · Cited by 17
de Vogel, F. A., Goudriaan, M., Zettler, E., Niemann, H., Eich, A., Weber, M., Lott, C., & Amaral‐Zettler, L. (2024) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172288 · Cited by 17
Messer, L. F., Wattiez, R., & Matallana‐Surget, S. (2024) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124479 · Cited by 15
“…bacterial classes such as Gamma-and Alphaproteobacteria, which are often also hydrocarbonoclastic, and members of Bacteroidota (Lee et al., 2023; Oberbeckmann and Labrenz, 2020; Scales et al., 2021) represent prominent members of the plastisphere community, in addition to photosynthetic…”
Scott, J., Golyshin, P. N., Holland, S. I., Pereira, R., Ngo, H. T. T., Kaiser, M., & Gutiérrez, T. (2025) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180277 · Cited by 16
Alavian, F., & Khodabakhshi, F. (2025) · Environmental Monitoring and Assessment · doi:10.1007/s10661-025-14666-3 · Cited by 19
“Microorganisms respond to this stress in various ways, including increasing growth rates, enhancing metabolism, and producing new macromolecules for cellular defense (Oberbeckmann & Labrenz, 2020).”
Plastisphere development in relation to the surrounding biotic communities
Pfeiffer, T. Ž., Maronić, D. Š., Stević, F., Balkić, A. G., Bek, N., Martinović, A., Mandir, T., Nikolašević, R., & Janjić, D. (2022) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119380 · Cited by 16
Yadav, D. K., & Kumar, R. (2023) · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · doi:10.3389/fevo.2023.1279589 · Cited by 16
Tagg, A. S., Sperlea, T., Hassenrück, C., Kreikemeyer, B., Fischer, D., & Labrenz, M. (2024) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171863 · Cited by 16
Self-citationDong, C., Wang, Z., & Shao, Z. (2024) · Blue Biotechnology · doi:10.1186/s44315-024-00017-3 · Cited by 18
Mannering, A. M., Burritt, D. J., Komyakova, V., Ferrari, M. C. O., Vamvounis, G., Gulizia, A. M., Staples, A., McCormick, M. I., & Allan, B. J. M. (2025) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179644 · Cited by 15
Lacerda, A. L., Casotti, R., Briand, J., Lenoble, V., Muniategui‐Lorenzo, S., Kessler, F., Barre, A., Moscoso-Pérez, C. M., Fernández‐González, V., Andrade, J. M., et al. (2025) · Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2025.121929 · Cited by 16
Hu, L., Ye, Y.-Q., Li, Y., Tan, X., Liu, X., Zhang, T., Wang, J., Du, Z., & Ye, M. (2025) · Biotechnology Advances · doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2025.108655 · Cited by 17
Merbt, S. N., Kröll, A., Tamminen, M. V., Rühs, P. A., Wagner, B., Sgier, L., Sembalova, O., Abel, B., Tlili, A., Schirmer, K., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Environmental Science · doi:10.3389/fenvs.2022.928247 · Cited by 17
“Specific physiological traits, such as the ability of Hyphomonas to adhere firmly to surfaces by forming polysaccharides holdfast (Oberbeckmann and Labrenz, 2020), and the potential of Burkholderiales (Inhella sp.”
BackgroundInfluentialNoorian, P., Hoque, M. M., Espinoza-Vergara, G., & McDougald, D. (2023) · Advances in experimental medicine and biology · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-22997-8_6 · Cited by 15
Cheng, J., Wang, P., Ghiglione, J., Liu, L., Cai, Z., Zhou, J., & Zhu, X. (2023) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132741 · Cited by 14
Distinct microbial communities degrade cellulose diacetate bioplastics in the coastal ocean
Sun, Y., Mazzotta, M. G., Miller, C. A., Apprill, A. M., Izallalen, M., Mazumder, S., Perri, S. T., Edwards, B., Reddy, C. M., & Ward, C. P. (2023) · Applied and Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1128/aem.01651-23 · Cited by 16
Mining strategies for isolating plastic-degrading microorganisms
Zhang, Z., Zhang, Q., Yang, H., Li, C., & Qian, H. (2024) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123572 · Cited by 17
Wang, Z., Liu, L., Zhou, G. Y., Yu, H., Hrynsphan, D., Savitskaya, T., Robles‐Iglesias, R., & Chen, J. (2024) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124755 · Cited by 15
An In Situ Study to Understand Community Structure of Estuarine Microbes on the Plastisphere
Sosa, A., & Chen, F. (2022) · Microorganisms · doi:10.3390/microorganisms10081543 · Cited by 14
“The initial colonization patterns described by studies looking into the early stages of marine microbial plastic biofilms is consistent with the dominating classes of the particle- Microorganisms 2022, 10, 1543 12 of 15 associated communities being Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria [19,23] in the first two s…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialDudek, K. L., & Neuer, S. (2023) · Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1111/1462-2920.16519 · Cited by 14
Microplastic contamination in Indonesian anchovies from fourteen locations
Ningrum, E. W., & Patria, M. P. (2021) · Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity · doi:10.13057/biodiv/d230116 · Cited by 14
“In the ocean, microplastics represent recalcitrant substances for microorganisms (Oberbeckmann and Labrenz 2020).”
BackgroundMir, R., Albarqi, S., Albalawi, W., Alanazi, G. B., Alsubaie, S. S., Alghaban, R. I., Alanazi, H. S., Alsharif, N. T., Aljammaz, M. M., Alghabban, N. F., et al. (2025) · Metabolites · doi:10.3390/metabo15060383 · Cited by 15
Viable Microorganisms on Fibers Collected within and beyond the Planetary Boundary Layer
González-Pleiter, M., Edo, C., Casero, M. C., Aguilera, Á., González‐Toril, E., Wierzchoś, J., Leganés, F., Fernández‐Piñas, F., & Rosal, R. (2020) · Environmental Science & Technology Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00667 · Cited by 13
Ma, J., Chen, F., Chen, C. C., Zhang, Z., Zhong, Z., Jiang, H., Pu, J., Li, Y., & Pan, K. (2023) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131583 · Cited by 13
Microbial Interactions with Particulate and Floating Pollutants in the Oceans: A Review
da Fonseca, E. M., Gaylarde, C. C., Neto, J. A. B., Camacho-Chab, J. C., & Ortega-Morales, B. O. (2022) · Micro · doi:10.3390/micro2020017 · Cited by 12
Caruso, G., Maimone, G., Rappazzo, A. C., Dell’Acqua, O., Laganà, P., & Azzaro, M. (2023) · Journal of Marine Science and Engineering · doi:10.3390/jmse11071317 · Cited by 12
Wang, J., Zhang, T., Li, Y., Ye, Y.-Q., Tan, X., Liu, X., Hu, L., Du, Z., & Ye, M. (2025) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118891 · Cited by 12
Martínez, K. B. P., da Silva, V. H., Andersen, T. J., Posth, N. R., & Strand, J. (2023) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115574 · Cited by 11
Coupling between Increased Amounts of Microplastics and Dissolved Organic Compounds in Water
Yan, W., Wang, Q., Gao, Y., Xu, M., Li, H., Zhou, Y., Liu, C., & Xiao, Y. (2023) · Water · doi:10.3390/w15234126 · Cited by 12
Hu, J., He, L., Wang, G., Liu, L., Wang, Y., Song, J., Qu, J., Peng, X., & Yuan, Y. (2024) · Journal of Biophotonics · doi:10.1002/jbio.202300510 · Cited by 11
Environmental factors control microbial colonization of plastics in the North Sea
Zeghal, E., Vaksmaa, A., van Bleijswijk, J. D. L., & Niemann, H. (2024) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116964 · Cited by 11
Liu, H., Wen, X., Sun, Y., Zhang, H., Wang, H., & Wei, J. (2023) · Journal of Water Process Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jwpe.2023.103754 · Cited by 12
Airborne microplastics on the move: Urban Europe as a source to remote regions
Herzke, D., Schmidt, N., Lervik, A. E., Schulze, D., Celentano, S., Eckhardt, S., Arp, H. P. H., & Evangeliou, N. (2025) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127380 · Cited by 14
Karkanorachaki, K., Syranidou, E., & Kalogerakis, N. E. (2023) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2023.120687 · Cited by 11
Zhao, X., Niu, Z., Ma, Y., Zhang, Y., Li, Y., & Zhang, R. (2024) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171464 · Cited by 10
Molina, N. F., Pérez, T. M. L., & Cerpa, Y. D. P. (2025) · Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.cscee.2025.101108 · Cited by 11
Tan, Z., Huang, J., Li, Y., Li, W., Sun, R., He, L., Dai, Z., & Li, C. (2025) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.5c00590 · Cited by 10
Plastic-associated pathogens in marine environments: a meta-analysis
Naudet, J., d’Orbcastel, E. R., Bouvier, T. C., & Auguet, J. (2025) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.118266 · Cited by 10
Eukaryotic community succession on discarded face masks in the marine environment
Ma, J., Chen, F., Zhang, Z., Li, Y., Liu, J., Chen, C. C., & Pan, K. (2022) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158552 · Cited by 10
“Floating plastics like masks may even transport these microbials over large areas (Oberbeckmann and Labrenz, 2020).”
Colonization of Plastic Marine Debris
Amaral‐Zettler, L. (2022) · doi:10.1002/9781119768432.ch10 · Cited by 10
Reisoglu, Ş., Çatı, C., Yurtsever, M., & Aydın, S. (2024) · Engineering in Life Sciences · doi:10.1002/elsc.202300249 · Cited by 9
“Microbial communities can exhibit notable divergence from the surrounding aquatic environment as the composition on natural substrates generally differ from those of free-living microbes and their assemblages, a phenomenon attributed to the distinct activities of sessile organisms [6].”
BackgroundEytcheson, S. A., Brown, S., Wu, H., Nietch, C. T., Weaver, P. C., Darling, J. A., Pilgrim, E. M., Purucker, S. T., & Molina, M. (2025) · Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1111/1462-2920.70103 · Cited by 9
Oceanic regions shape the composition of the Antarctic plastisphere
Lacerda, A. L., Proietti, M., Kessler, F., Mendes, C. R. B., Secchi, E. R., & Taylor, J. D. (2025) · Communications Earth & Environment · doi:10.1038/s43247-025-02445-4 · Cited by 10
“This is corroborated by patterns observed for the plastisphere of several other areas, such as the Mediterranean Sea 59 , the North and Baltic Seas 19 , and the South Paci fi c 60 and South Atlantic 50 Oceans, in which the geographic region in fl uences the plastisphere composition more than the characteristics of the p…”
Current status and challenges of water pollution: A jeopardy on inland and marine ecosystems
Veerendra, G. T. N., Dey, S., Manoj, D. A. V. P., Dolla, T., & Dolla, T. (2026) · Sustainable Chemistry for Climate Action · doi:10.1016/j.scca.2026.100203 · Cited by 9
No effects of plasticized microplastics on the body condition and reproduction of a marine fish
McCormick, M. I., Fakan, E. P., Vamvounis, G., Bosshard, S. C., Moad, C. M., Smyth, E., Gatenby, P., Edmiston, J. W., Patel, K., & Allan, B. J. M. (2023) · ICES Journal of Marine Science · doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsad049 · Cited by 9
A New Colorimetric Test for Accurate Determination of Plastic Biodegradation
Mattelin, V., Verfaille, L., Kundu, K., Wildeman, S. M. A. D., & Boon, N. (2023) · Polymers · doi:10.3390/polym15102311 · Cited by 9
“These test methods, however, require a minimum of three months incubation, have a low throughput and cannot discriminate between the degradation of the polymer itself or the degradation of (leached) additives or mono/oligomers [6,8,19,20].”
BackgroundUthra, K. T., Chitra, V., Narayanasamy, D., Devadoss, A., Kuehnel, M. F., Expósito, A. J., Nagarajan, S., Pitchaimuthu, S., & Pazhani, G. P. (2023) · Environmental Science Advances · doi:10.1039/d3va00084b · Cited by 14
A Bird’s Eye View on Sustainable Management Solutions for Non-degradable Plastic Wastes
Jeya, G., Rajalakshmi, S., Gayathri, K. V., Priya, P., Sakthivel, P., & Sivamurugan, V. (2021) · Emerging contaminants and associated treatment technologies · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-72441-2_20 · Cited by 9
Green Nanocomposites: Magical Solution for Environmental Pollution Problems
Aysa, N. H., & Shalan, A. E. (2022) · Engineering materials · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-94319-6_13 · Cited by 9
Bhattarai, B. R., Regmi, B. P., Gupta, A., Aryal, B., Adhikari, B., Paudel, M., & Parajuli, N. (2022) · Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy · doi:10.1016/j.scp.2022.100692 · Cited by 10
Biodegradability studies of lignocellulosic fiber reinforced composites
da Silva, A. M. B., Martins, A. B., & Santana, R. M. C. (2021) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-821090-1.00006-5 · Cited by 9
Talukdar, A., Banerjee, A., Dey, S., & Bhattacharya, S. (2024) · Cambridge Prisms Plastics · doi:10.1017/plc.2024.26 · Cited by 9
Rai, M., Dhanker, R., Sharma, N., Kamakshi, Kamble, S. S., Tiwari, A., Du, Z., & Mohamed, H. I. (2025) · Archives of Microbiology · doi:10.1007/s00203-025-04334-y · Cited by 8
“Bacteria are the early colonizers that initiate polymer oxidation to make their surface hydrophilic, weaken their bonds and create a favorable environment for secondary colonizers like fungi (Oberbeckmann and Labrenz 2020).”
Biological degradation of microplastics and nanoplastics in water and wastewater
Amanna, R., Samavi, M., & Rakshit, S. K. (2022) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-99908-3.00002-6 · Cited by 8
Underwater Vehicle Path Planning Based on Bidirectional Path and Cached Random Tree Star Algorithm
Gao, J., Xu, G., Zhang, Y., & Wang, J. (2024) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app14020947 · Cited by 8
Beach wracks microbiome and its putative function in plastic polluted Mediterranean marine ecosystem
Kolda, A., Mucko, M., Rapljenović, A., Ljubešić, Z., Pikelj, K., Kwokal, Ž., Fajković, H., & Cuculić, V. (2024) · Marine Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106769 · Cited by 8
Microplastic – A New Habitat for Biofilm Communities
Schmitt‐Jansen, M., Lips, S., Schäfer, H., & Rummel, C. D. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-10618-8_22-1 · Cited by 8
Silva, I., Tacão, M., & Henriques, I. S. (2025) · Journal of Water Process Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.107419 · Cited by 7
Microplastics: Hidden drivers of antimicrobial resistance in aquatic systems
Goswami, P., Kanda, K., Tamamura-Andoh, Y., Watanabe, M., & Guruge, K. S. (2025) · NanoImpact · doi:10.1016/j.impact.2025.100566 · Cited by 7
Microplastics in Aquatic Environments
Ramkumar, M. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-10729-0_8 · Cited by 7
Kelly, E. R. M., Trujillo, J. E., Setiawan, A. N., Pether, S. M. J., Burritt, D. J., & Allan, B. J. M. (2023) · Marine Pollution Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115079 · Cited by 7
Oyewusi, H. A., Muhammad, M., Wahab, R. A., & Huyop, F. (2021) · Journal of Tropical Life Science · doi:10.11594/jtls.11.03.11 · Cited by 7
Microplastics and Nano-Plastics: From Initiation to Termination
Awolesi, O., Oni, P., & Arwenyo, B. (2023) · Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection · doi:10.4236/gep.2023.111016 · Cited by 8
Degradation of Plastics by Fungi
Zimmermann, W. (2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-819990-9.00005-6 · Cited by 8
Walker, D. I., Baker‐Austin, C., Smith, A. J., Thorpe, K. L., Bakir, A., Galloway, T. S., Ganther, S., Gaze, W., Lewis, C. N., Russell, J., et al. (2022) · doi:10.46756/sci.fsa.xdx112 · Cited by 8
Microbes and microplastics: Community shifts along an urban coastal contaminant gradient
Garrison, C. E., Pachiadaki, M., Soliman, S., Helfrich, A., & Taylor, G. T. (2023) · Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1111/1462-2920.16563 · Cited by 6
Perdigão, R., Tavares, A. S., Carvalho, M. F., Magalhães, C., Ramos, S., Almeida, C. M. R., & Mucha, A. P. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-06033-6 · Cited by 7
“The comparative reanalysis of Oberbeckmann and Labrenz 29 pointed out that microplastics alone did not correspond to higher risks of pathogens transport nor accumulation, since the median relative abundances of potentially pathogenic taxa (members of Arcobacter , Pseudomonas , Shewanella , and Vibrio ) in microplastic…”
Towards a circular economy: Harnessing bacteria for sustainable plastic waste degradation
Liu, W., Wang, J., & Habibi, M. (2025) · Process Biochemistry · doi:10.1016/j.procbio.2025.08.013 · Cited by 6
Biodegradation of plastics waste using fungi: A review
Asiandu, A., Wahyudi, A. H., & Sari, S. (2021) · Current Research in Environmental & Applied Mycology · doi:10.5943/cream/11/1/1 · Cited by 7
Yuan, X., Ma, S., Geng, H., Cao, M., Chen, H., Zhou, B., Yuan, R., Luo, S., Sun, K., & Wang, F. (2024) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174522 · Cited by 7
Plastisphere on Microplastics: In Situ Assays in an Estuarine EnvironmentPreprint
López, A. D. F., Brugnoni, L. I., Abasto, B., Rimondino, G. N., Lassalle, V., Ardusso, M. G., Nazzarro, M. S., Martinez, A. M., Spetter, C. V., Biancalana, F., et al. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4102891 · Cited by 6
New Halophilic Community Degrades Plastics: A Metagenomic Study
Krumov, N., Atanasova, N., Boyadzhieva, I., Paunova-Krasteva, T. S., Berberov, K., Petrov, K. K., & Petrova, P. M. (2025) · Fermentation · doi:10.3390/fermentation11040227 · Cited by 5
“A common strategy for isolating plastic-active microbial communities involves examining natural ecosystems exposed to high levels of plastic pollution, such as aquatic environments [20] and plastic-contaminated landfills [21].”
Sinisterra-Sierra, M. C., Campos-Valdez, A. R., Pereira‐Santana, A., Zamora‐Briseño, J. A., Ramírez-Pérez, S. L., González-Escobar, J. L., Kirchmayr, M. R., Barrera‐Martínez, I., Robles-Machuca, M., & Casas‐Godoy, L. (2025) · Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2025.122170 · Cited by 5
The impact of microplastics on small organism dispersal: mechanisms, risks, and research gaps
Lange, M. L., Brenninger, F. A., Cao, C., & Li, X. (2025) · Evolutionary Ecology · doi:10.1007/s10682-025-10358-z · Cited by 5
“While Oberbeckmann and Labrenz (2020) found no evidence of pathogen enrichment on MPs than the surfaces of surrounding natural substrates across diverse aquatic ecosystems, a later meta-analysis of Yu et al. (2022) found the enrichment of antibiotic-resistant genes to be higher on MPs than on…”
Influential
Metadata
- Authors
- Oberbeckmann, S., & Labrenz, M.
- Affiliations
- Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Labrenz, Matthias
- Venue
- Annual Review of Marine Science
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2020-01-03
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 209-232
- ISSN
- 1941-0611 (ISSN-L)
- 1941-1405
- OpenAlex
- W2949351613
- Cited by
- 471
- References
- 144
- Citations by year
- 2026: 52 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 74 · 2022: 102 · 2021: 74 · 2020: 39
- FWCI
- 2.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Annual Review of Marine Science (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- European Commission
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (03F0788A, 03F0775A)
- Leibniz-Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde
- Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (SAW-2014-IOW-2)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Keywords
- microplastics, marine microbial communities, plastisphere, biofilm, Vibrio, pathogenic bacteria, microbial adaptation, plastic degradation, marine plastic pollution, plastic alternatives
- MeSH terms
- Microplastics, Adaptation, Physiological, Bacteria, Oceans and Seas, Water Pollutants, Biofilms, Biodiversity, Microbiota
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
