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Biofilm and Diatom Succession on Polyethylene (PE) and Biodegradable Plastic Bags in Two Marine Habitats: Early Signs of Degradation in the Pelagic and Benthic Zone?

Eich, Andreas ; Mildenberger, Tobias ; Laforsch, Christian ; Weber, Miriam Carter, Dee A.

PloS one, 2015-09, Vol.10 (9), p.e0137201-e0137201 [Periódico revisado por pares]

United States: Public Library of Science

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Título:
Biofilm and Diatom Succession on Polyethylene (PE) and Biodegradable Plastic Bags in Two Marine Habitats: Early Signs of Degradation in the Pelagic and Benthic Zone?
Autor: Eich, Andreas ; Mildenberger, Tobias ; Laforsch, Christian ; Weber, Miriam
Carter, Dee A.
Assuntos: Aquatic habitats ; Benthic zone ; Benthos ; Biodegradability ; Biodegradable materials ; Biodegradable plastics ; Biodegradable Plastics - chemistry ; Biodegradable Plastics - metabolism ; Biodegradation ; Biofilms ; Biofilms - growth & development ; Bioplastics ; Colonization ; Degradation ; Diatoms ; Diatoms - physiology ; Ecosystem ; Electron microscopy ; Environmental conditions ; Environmental degradation ; Environmental impact ; Field study ; Habitats ; High density polyethylenes ; Laboratories ; Laboratory experiments ; Light ; Light intensity ; Luminous intensity ; Marine environment ; Mechanical tests ; Mediterranean Sea ; Microorganisms ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Molecular weight ; Ocean floor ; Oxidation ; Oxygen ; Oxygen - metabolism ; Oxygen production ; Pelagic zone ; Plankton ; Plastic debris ; Plastics ; Polyethylene ; Polyethylene - chemistry ; Polyethylene - metabolism ; Polyethylenes ; Polymers ; Polyvinyl alcohol ; Scanning electron microscopy ; Surface properties ; Tensile Strength ; Water depth
É parte de: PloS one, 2015-09, Vol.10 (9), p.e0137201-e0137201
Notas: ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
Conceived and designed the experiments: AE TM CL MW. Performed the experiments: AE TM. Analyzed the data: AE TM CL MW. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: AE TM CL MW. Wrote the paper: AE TM CL MW.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Descrição: The production of biodegradable plastic is increasing. Given the augmented littering of these products an increasing input into the sea is expected. Previous laboratory experiments have shown that degradation of plastic starts within days to weeks. Little is known about the early composition and activity of biofilms found on biodegradable and conventional plastic debris and its correlation to degradation in the marine environment. In this study we investigated the early formation of biofilms on plastic shopper bags and its consequences for the degradation of plastic. Samples of polyethylene and biodegradable plastic were tested in the Mediterranean Sea for 15 and 33 days. The samples were distributed equally to a shallow benthic (sedimentary seafloor at 6 m water depth) and a pelagic habitat (3 m water depth) to compare the impact of these different environments on fouling and degradation. The amount of biofilm increased on both plastic types and in both habitats. The diatom abundance and diversity differed significantly between the habitats and the plastic types. Diatoms were more abundant on samples from the pelagic zone. We anticipate that specific surface properties of the polymer types induced different biofilm communities on both plastic types. Additionally, different environmental conditions between the benthic and pelagic experimental site such as light intensity and shear forces may have influenced unequal colonisation between these habitats. The oxygen production rate was negative for all samples, indicating that the initial biofilm on marine plastic litter consumes oxygen, regardless of the plastic type or if exposed in the pelagic or the benthic zone. Mechanical tests did not reveal degradation within one month of exposure. However, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis displayed potential signs of degradation on the plastic surface, which differed between both plastic types. This study indicates that the early biofilm formation and composition are affected by the plastic type and habitat. Further, it reveals that already within two weeks biodegradable plastic shows signs of degradation in the benthic and pelagic habitat.
Editor: United States: Public Library of Science
Idioma: Inglês

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Biofilm and Diatom Succession on Polyethylene (PE) and Biodegradable Plastic Bags in Two Marine Habitats: Early Signs of Degradation in the Pelagic and Benthic Zone?

Eich, Andreas ; Mildenberger, Tobias ; Laforsch, Christian ; Weber, Miriam Carter, Dee A.

United States: Public Library of Science

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