Microbial life on plastics and its implication on elemental cycling in the aquatic environment

Battulga, B. ; Nakayama, Masataka  ; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko  ; Koarashi, Jun   

A growing attention has been addressed on microbial attachment and biofilm formation on plastic debris especially on microplastics (MPs; sizes: 5 mm) in the aquatic environment. The current study is focused on bacterial and fungal community composition, diversity, and structure in MP-associated biofilms to emphasize potential alteration of elemental cycling by the presence of MPs in the coastal aquatic environment. We collected MP, surface water, bottom sediment, and coastal sand samples from two contrasting coastal areas of Japan on a seasonal basis. Surface morphology and attached microorganisms on MPs were visually inspected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A high-throughput sequencing using Illumina MiSeq was performed in the collected samples to investigate the microbial community composition and diversity among different samples.