Into the Plastisphere, Where Only the Generalists Thrive: Early Insights in Plastisphere Microbial Community Succession

The ubiquity of plastic debris in marine environments raises the question, what impacts do plastics have on our microbiota? To investigate this, we applied bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal ITS2 region sequencing to identify changes microbial biofilm community compositions plastic, over time. We sampled virgin linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), nylon-6 (PA) glass after 2, 6 12 weeks constant immersion Te Whakaraupō-Lyttelton Harbour, Aotearoa-New Zealand. Of prokaryotes, Proteobacteria Bacteroidetes were predominant all samples Verrucomicrobiota most abundant mature biofilms. Microbial communities three substrate types significantly distinct from those surrounding seawater, regardless age, but not between attachment substrates. Bacterial occurring two at six found vary more among than other times; however, no significant substrate-specific identified overall. Taxa closely related previously reported plastic-biodegrading species very low abundance across substrates, including slides. Our findings suggest that microorganisms selectively persist LLDPE or PA surfaces gain direct metabolic benefit, instead using these primarily as an surface which they form generalist communities.