The Plastisphere: Marine fungi communities in the plastics age

Abstract

Fungi play important roles in biofilms, are very versatile in their ecological role, and are considered as plastic degraders. Here we aim to increase the resolution of the fungal members of the Plastisphere, to understand fungal substrate specificities and related potential ecological impacts. Fifteen-month-old fungal Plastisphere communities were investigated on 9 different plastic types and glass in seawater from the North Sea. By integrating scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging, ITS-based fingerprinting, and re-evaluated 18S rRNA gene sequence data through a fungal-specific phylogeny-based pipeline, we observed fungal Plastispheres and identified specific characteristics based on morphotypes, phylogeny, and biodiversity across different substrate types. Plastic types selected for specific fungal communities with polyolefine communities indicating significantly higher diversity compared to all other plastic types. Furthermore, specific plastic types may select for specific fungal taxa and their potential hosts, highlighting the complexity of marine biofilm food webs, and related ecological implications.