{"id":31263,"date":"2025-06-09T13:06:07","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T17:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?p=31263"},"modified":"2025-07-14T13:08:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T17:08:02","slug":"summer-2025-microbes-microplastic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/summer-2025-microbes-microplastic\/","title":{"rendered":"A New World for Microbes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
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Former Sea Grant fellow Austin Gray is exploring what happens when microbes meet microplastics.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\n \n
\n \n FROM THE SUMMER 2025 ISSUE<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

Billions of microplastic particles<\/a> make their way through North Carolina\u2019s waterways and into the Pamlico Sound each year \u2014 which makes understanding the impacts of plastic pollution more important than ever before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDue to the prevalence and persistence of microplastics, they present a unique opportunity to investigate an emerging research question,\u201d says Virginia Tech\u2019s Austin Gray, professor of aquatic toxicology. \u201cDo microplastics alter ecosystem processes in their respective habitats?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gray recently received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program grant to investigate microorganisms\u2019 interactions with microplastics in the \u201cplastisphere\u201d \u2014 the community of microbes that live on and feed on plastic debris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"image:<\/a>
Austin Gray in the lab. Credit: Va. Tech.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before joining Virginia Tech, Gray earned his master\u2019s at The Citadel and Ph.D. at University of North Carolina Greensboro. As a student he conducted groundbreaking work for both degrees with support from Sea Grant, research that included a joint fellowship with the NC Water Resources Research Institute. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have been very interested in understanding the ecological implications of pollutants,\u201d he says, \u201cin a sense combining my past research focuses to explore relatively uncharted territory.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plastisphere poses a potential threat to the natural carbon cycle \u2014 the process by which carbon moves through the environment.<\/a> Most of the time, rocks, sediments, and living creatures lock away carbon. When organisms expel waste or die, the decomposition process releases stored carbon back into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"image:<\/a>
Austin Gray (center) with students at a creek site. His latest study on microbial activity will “explore relatively uncharted territory.\u201d Credit: Va. Tech.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Microbes play an important role in the carbon cycle, because they feed on the waste and detritus, preventing that carbon from entering the atmosphere, and, in turn, contributing to the regulation of global temperature. However, Gray says microbes have begun latching onto plastic<\/em> waste in water, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe microbes or biofilms that colonize plastics may utilize plastic-derived organic matter<\/a>,\u201d he explains. \u201cSince plastics contain various additives and chemicals used in their production, the question arises: is the dissolved organic matter from plastics inhibiting or stimulating microbial activity and processes?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gray says that although his lab has yet to start gathering data for his NSF CAREER project, researchers previously have shown that certain microbes actually prefer the surface of plastics over other natural items<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"image:<\/a>
The microbes or “biofilms” (here) that colonize plastics may utilize plastic-derived organic matter. Image from “Insights into the in-situ degradation and fragmentation of macroplastics in a low-order riverine system” in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis has significant implications for microbial community structure and function in freshwater ecosystems,\u201d he says, \u201cparticularly in rivers where plastics can be captured and retained for weeks to years.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if microbes use microplastics as a source of carbon — instead of using naturally-occurring organic matter? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could leave more carbon in a watershed. In addition to potential impacts on global temperatures, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, even <\/a>small increases in carbon concentration in lakes and other small freshwater ecosystems carry a range of detrimental effects<\/a>. Carbon dioxide is acidic, for instance, and smaller species, such as crayfish, are more sensitive to shifts in pH levels. In some cases, this can lead to local extinction of affected species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"image:<\/a>
\u201cIt\u2019s a relatively new world for microbes,\u201d Gray says, \u201cand we don\u2019t know what that means for aquatic environments and various processes that take place in them.\u201d Credit: Va. Tech.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The loss of small species, in turn, can have a cascading effect, as larger species that used to feed on them now must seek out other sources of food, unbalancing the ecosystem. Excess carbon in the water also promotes algae blooms, which can deplete the oxygen supply, leading to fish kills. In some cases, algae can also be toxic both to aquatic life and humans.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Gray and his team are focused on observing naturally occurring microbes, researchers at NC State are investigating whether <\/a>designing<\/em><\/a> a microbe with a greater appetite for plastic could be a viable solution to removing PET plastic contaminants from ecosystems altogether<\/a>. Clearly, a better understanding of the relationships between plastics and microbial communities will be key to understanding the impacts of plastic pollution \u2014 and uncovering potential solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a relatively new world for microbes,\u201d Gray told Virginia Tech News, \u201cand we don\u2019t know what that means for aquatic environments and various processes that take place in them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Austin Gray\u2019s Lab<\/strong>

\u201cInsights into the in-situ degradation and fragmentation of macroplastics in a low-order riverine system<\/a>\u201d in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More on Austin Gray<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plastic from the NC Mountains to the Sea<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People and Places<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking Systemic Barriers: Being Black in the Aquatic Sciences<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researcher measures microplastics\u2019 massive changes on the micro world<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A River of Plastics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plastic, Plastic, Everywhere<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lily Soetebier<\/strong> is a contributing editor for Coastwatch<\/em>. She is pursuing an M.S. in technical communication at NC State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FROM THE SUMMER 2025 ISSUE<\/a><\/strong>
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