Booth Id:
MCRO022
Category:
Microbiology
Year:
2023
Finalist Names:
Soliman, Sammer (School: John F. Kennedy High School)
Abstract:
When plastic polymers enter the environment via pollution, colonization by
microorganisms is instantaneous. Colonization subsequently alters the physical and chemical
characteristics of the plastic, as well as its potential for transport and interaction with other
microorganisms across natural environments. It is important to understand the successional
characteristics of microbial communities that naturally colonize plastic pollution to determine
differences in functional potential, such as plastic degradation, over time and their corresponding
impact on the ecosystem. To address this, environmental incubations of polyethylene and glass
in a Western Long Island Sound waterway bordering New York City were performed, collecting
subsamples at weekly time points for two months. Microbial biofilm succession across each time
point was analyzed via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and microscopic image analysis. This
study found that plastic-degrading microorganisms showed preferential colonization for plastic
compared to glass, and the microbial community compositions as a whole differed significantly
between the two substrates. In addition, plastic-degrading microorganisms colonized
polyethylene at different rates according to the age of the biofilm. Little is known regarding early
colonizers of plastic, and these results shed light on microbial community assembly on plastic
deployed in a dense urban area characterized by heavy pollution. Insights into microbial
interactions with plastic pollution are critical for developing proper pollution prevention and
mitigation strategies worldwide.