The Effects of Microplastic Pollution on Aquatic Microorganisms: A review of the sources, fate, and effects

Subject Areas : Biotechnological Journal of Environmental Microbiology

Morteza Azizollahi Aliabadi ^{1 *} , Seyed Reza Hosseini Doust ² , Maryam Miyanabadi ³

1 - گروه میکروبیولوژی,دانشگاه علوم و فناوریهای نوین,علوم پزشکی تهران,دانشگاه ازاد اسلامی,تهران ،ایران
2 - گروه میکروبیولوژی ، دانشکده فناوری های پیشرفته ، واحد پزشکی ، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد تهران ، تهران ، ایران
3 - گروه میکروبیولوژی ، دانشکده فناوری های پیشرفته ، واحد پزشکی ، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد تهران ، تهران ، ایران

Received: 2022-08-21 Accepted : 2022-09-21 Published : 2022-03-01

Keywords: Microplastics (MP), Biofilms, Microbial ecology, Aquatic ecosystems,

Abstract :

Microplastics provide a extensive surface for microbial colonization in aquatic ecosystems. The formation
of microorganism-microplastic complexes, such as biofilms, maximizes the degradation of organic matter
and horizontal gene transfer. Microplastic affect the structure and function of microbial communities. Dispersal
of microplastic is concomitant with that of their associated microorganisms and their mobile genetic
elements, including antibiotic resistance genes, islands of pathogenicity, and diverse metabolic pathways. The
presence of microplastics in the marine environment poses a great threat to the entire ecosystem and has
received much attention lately as the presence has greatly impacted oceans, lakes, seas, rivers and even the
Polar Regions. In addition, Coastal and marine areas are constantly under continuous and increasing pressure
from the activities of humans. Microorganisms play essential roles in the ecological fate of microplastics pollution,
potentially yielding positive and negative effects. This review provides a holistic view of ongoing microplastics
and related microbial research, which may be useful for future microplastic biodegradation studies.