Plastispheres

 

The plastics that float in the middle of the ocean not only kills birds and turtles. It also serves as the home for a new marine ecosystem. Single cell organisms (bacteria, algae, etc.) were able to colonize and reproduce in their new environments. The Sea Education Association collected and studied these ecosystems. They were determining the type of microbes that live in these environments, how they were able to populate in these conditions, and the effects it would have on other current marine ecosystems.

 

It was nicknamed by Tracy Mincer (a scientist of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) as a "microbial reef." On a piece of plastic the size of a pinky, he discovered a complex ecosystem; he found primary producers (like plants), grazers, predators, and decomposers. An interesting addition to this ecosystem (and quite possibly the most important of this ecosystem) was a cell called "pit formers," which attaches the ecosystem to the plastic. Another interesting feature is that it can attract high quantities of waterborne toxics. They can absorb more than one million times the level of toxicity of surrounding water.

 

Using genetic techniques to observe microbes’ DNA, Linda Amaral-Zettler was able to find a high quantity of creatures that were able to live on a piece of plastic that was only 5mm across. Over 1,000 kinds were found, and some of these organisms are not usually found in an ocean. They were also able to find high concentrations of Vibrio, a common marine bacterial genus.  Most Vibrio are not harmful, but some are affiliated with diseases in humans and animals.

 

Plastic does not decompose. The microbes that live in the plastisphere will be able to travel long distances, which makes it possible for them to infect any animals that may come in contact with it. If the plastisphere is able to move through different environments and encounter different ecosystems, it could impact the native organisms and the animals that depend on these microbes. Scientists are currently experimenting if fish or other ocean animals are helping them flourish by ingesting them. According to Mincer, "That could allow bacteria to acquire additional nutrients as they pass through the guts of the fish." (2014) This information could help reveal the potency of these organisms and how it would affect the the marine ecosystems, especially with its ability to alter the nutrients in the water.