Fate of plastic marine debris and interaction with marine microorganisms

The pollution of the Ocean with plastics is a severe problem, and the ever-increasing global demand for plastic polymers suggest that the magnitude of this problem will increase. Research has revealed that plastics accumulate in subtropical gyres, zones of convergence and at the coast, but very little is known about the final fate of plastics in the ocean. A few bacteria but also some terrestrial fungi were found to be able to metabolise plastics. Indeed, fungi are often involved in the breakdown of very complex and recalcitrant organic matter, but this group is very understudied in marine environments and not many studies have conclusive results. 

Aim of this project is to investigate the microbial communities on plastic collected from the marine realm by 16S/18S rRNA gene sequencing and isolate microbes from plastic samples. The internship aims to further test the ability of potential isolates to degrade plastics. For this, the candidate will investigate which are the degradation products of different types of plastic and which of these are consumed by marine microorganisms. The ability of microbes to use plastic-carbon for their kata- and/or anabolism will be tested with the aid of stable isotope labelled polymers by tracing the 13C-label into degradation products.  

Requirements

The student will be based at NIOZ on Texel for the duration of the project, which is expected to be 6+ months.

Contact

If you are interested in the project, please contact Prof Helge Niemann (helge.niemann@nioz.nl) or Dr Annika Vaksmaa (annika.vaksmaa@nioz.nl).