Study first to tally biomass from oceanic plastic debris using visualization method – EurekAlert

Credit: Shiye Zhao, PH.D.

Trillions of plastic debris fragments are afloat at sea, creating the "perfect storm" for microbial colonization. Introduced more than 50 years ago, plastic substrates are a novel microbial habitat in the world's oceans. This "plastisphere" consists of a complex community comprised of bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic microorganisms and microscopic animals.

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