Early stage of biofilm assembly on microplastics is structured by substrate size and bacterial motility
Peng Qin, Han Cui, Panxin Li, Shuaitao Wang, Shen Fan, Jie Lu, Meng Sun, Heng Zhang, Shougang Wang, Xiaoyan Su, Hui‐Hui Fu, Xiaoli Hu, Jinshui Lin, Yu‐Zhong Zhang, Wei Ding, Weipeng Zhang
Abstract
The taxonomic structure of biofilms on 0.3-mm microplastics differed significantly from that on 3-mm microplastics or glass particles. Compared with the 3-mm microplastics, biofilms on 0.3-mm microplastics were enriched for genes involved in flagellar-based motility and chemotaxis, pointing to a more 'mobile' community. The association between motility and bacterial colonization of 0.3-mm microplastics was observed through laboratory experiments using isolated strains.
Topics & Concepts
MicroplasticsBiofilmMotilityBiologyMicrobiologyBacteriaColonizationBiofoulingChemotaxisEcologyCell biologyBiochemistryReceptorMembraneGeneticsMicroplastics and Plastic PollutionModular Robots and Swarm IntelligenceBacterial biofilms and quorum sensing