Dissolved organic carbon leaching from plastics stimulates microbial activity in the ocean

Cristina Romera-Castillo (), Maria Pinto, Teresa M. Langer, Xosé Antón Álvarez-Salgado and Gerhard J. Herndl ()
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Cristina Romera-Castillo: University of Vienna
Maria Pinto: University of Vienna
Teresa M. Langer: University of Vienna
Xosé Antón Álvarez-Salgado: CSIC Instituto de Investigacións Mariñas
Gerhard J. Herndl: University of Vienna

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Approximately 5.25 trillion plastic pieces are floating at the sea surface. The impact of plastic pollution on the lowest trophic levels of the food web, however, remains unknown. Here we show that plastics release dissolved organic carbon (DOC) into the ambient seawater stimulating the activity of heterotrophic microbes. Our estimates indicate that globally up to 23,600 metric tons of DOC are leaching from marine plastics annually. About 60% of it is available to microbial utilization in less than 5 days. If exposed to solar radiation, however, this DOC becomes less labile. Thus, plastic pollution of marine surface waters likely alters the composition and activity of the base of the marine food webs. It is predicted that plastic waste entering the ocean will increase by a factor of ten within the next decade, resulting in an increase in plastic-derived DOC that might have unaccounted consequences for marine microbes and for the ocean system.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03798-5

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