Textile waste and microplastic induce activity and development of unique hydrocarbon-degrading marine bacterial communities

Elsa Girard 1, Wolfgang W. Schmahl 1,2,3, Gert Wörheide 1,3,4 and William D. Orsi 1,2

1 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80333 Munich, Germany

2 SNSB - Mineralogische Staatssammlung München, 80333 München, Germany

3 GeoBio-CenterLMU, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80333 Munich, Germany

4 SNSB - Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, 80333 Munich, Germany

Abstract

Here, we assess the metabolic response in marine microbial communities to three different micropollutants, virgin high-density polyethylene (HDPE) microbeads, polysorbate-20 (Tween), and textile fibers. All micropollutants induced variable levels of microbial growth, respiration, and community assembly in controlled microcosm experiments. Raman characterization of the chemical composition of the textile fibers and high-throughput DNA sequencing data show how the increased metabolic stimulation and biodegradation is translated into selection processes ultimately manifested in different communities colonizing the different micropollutant substrates. The composition of the bacterial communities was significantly altered by micropollutant substrate types and light conditions. Bacterial taxa, closely related to the well-known hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria Kordiimonas spp. and Alcanivorax spp., were enriched in the presence of textile waste and virgin HDPE. The findings demonstrate an increased metabolic response by marine hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial taxa in the presence of microplastics and textile waste, highlighting their biodegradation potential. The metabolic stimulation by the micropollutants was increased in the presence of light, possibly due to photochemical dissolution of the plastic into smaller bioavailable compounds. Our results suggest that the development and increased activity of these unique microbial communities likely play a role in the bioremediation of the relatively long-lived textile and microplastic pollutants in marine habitats.

Keywords: Microplastic, Fiber, Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, Microbial community, Pollution

In this repository, primary data (tables and Raman spectra) and associated R codes of the paper are available.

Protocol to work with the data

1. Download the folder "R-analysis" and the scripts in the "Downloads" folder of your computer
2. Open the R codes in RStudio
3. Choose which section of the code you are interested in
4. Run the section and you will obtain the basic graph associated to the data

** Final graphs were edited in Adobe Illustrator CS3, therefore they do not appear similar, but the information presented is the same.