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Ten percent of the oxygen we breathe comes from only one type of bacteria in the ocean. Laboratory tests have shown that these bacteria are sensitive to plastic pollution, according to a study published in Biology of communication.
"We found that exposure to chemicals leached by plastic pollution detracted from growth, photosynthesis, and oxygen production." Prochlorococcusthe most abundant photosynthetic bacteria in the ocean, "said Dr. Sasha Tetu, lead author and researcher at Macquarie University.
"We now want to determine if plastic pollution has the same impact on these microbes present in the ocean.
Plastic pollution is estimated to cause more than $ 13 billion in economic damage to marine ecosystems each year, and the problem is compounded, with pollution from marine plastics being higher than marine fish. here 2050.
"This pollution can wash off a variety of chemical additives in marine environments, but unlike the threats posed by animals ingested or entangled in plastic debris, the threat that these leachates pose to marine life has relatively much to do with it. On paper.
In the first study of this type, researchers examined the effects of these chemicals on the smaller life in our oceans, the photosynthetic marine bacteria.
"We looked at a group of tiny green bacteria called Prochlorococcus which is the most abundant photosynthetic organism on Earth, with a world population of around three octillions (~ 1027), "says Sasha.
These microbes are very powerful when it comes to producing carbohydrates and oxygen in the ocean via photosynthesis.
"These mining microorganisms are essential to the marine food web, contribute to the carbon cycle and would be responsible for 10% of the total oxygen production in the world," said Lisa, explaining the fundamental importance of these microbes for the health of the oceans.
"So, one out of ten oxygen breath is inspired by these little guys, but we know almost nothing about how marine bacteria, such as Prochlorococcus respond to human pollutants. "
In the laboratory, the team exposed two strains of Prochlorococcus are found at different depths in the ocean by leaching chemicals from two common plastic products: gray plastic grocery bags (made from high density polyethylene) and PVC mats.
They discovered that exposure to these chemicals was detrimental to the growth and function of these microbes – including the amount of oxygen they produce – as well as to the alteration from the expression of a large number of their genes.
"Our data show that plastic pollution can have widespread impacts on ecosystems beyond the known effects on macro-organisms, such as seabirds and sea turtles," says Sasha.
"If we really want to understand the full impact of plastics pollution in the marine environment and find ways to mitigate it, we need to examine its impact on key microbial groups, including photosynthetic microbes. "
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Material provided by Macquarie University. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
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