Environmental pollution by plastic debris is estimated on a scale of 100 million metric tons, a portion of which is fragmented into micro- and nanoplastics. These fragments are often colonized by bacterial species in marine environments, possibly contributing to the biodegradation of such materials. However, further investigations are necessary to determine the impact of abiotic polymer weathering on biofilm adhesion, as well as the specific biofilm formation strategies employed by marine isolates. Here, we evaluate deep-sea sediment bacterial isolates for biofilm adhesion, extracellular matrix production, and polymer degradation ability. Our study focuses on high-density polyethylene (HDPE) fragments for their high durability and environmental persistence, subjecting fragments to abiotic weathering prior to bacterial colonization. Marine isolates identified as Pseudomonas sp. and Lysinibacillus sp. exhibited decreasing biofilm formation on weathered HDPE, especially over the first 24 h of incubation. This effect was countered by increased extracellular matrix production, likely improving cell adhesion to surfaces roughened by abiotic degradation. These adhesion strategies were contrasted with a reference Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain, which displayed high levels of biofilm formation on non-weathered HDPE and lower extracellular matrix production over the first 24 h of incubation. Furthermore, our results suggest that an increase in biofilm biomass correlated with changes to HDPE structure, indicating that these strains have a potential for biodegradation of plastic fragments. Therefore, this work provides a detailed account of biofilm formation strategies and bacteria-plastic interactions that represent crucial steps in the biodegradation of plastic fragments in marine environments.
Keywords: Aquatic organisms; Bacteria; Environmental microbiology; Microplastics.