According to research released on Tuesday (July 26), chemicals leaking from plastic waste cause bacteria to grow more quickly in European lakes. The authors of the study suggested that this finding might offer a natural means of removing plastic pollution from freshwater ecosystems.
Microplastics have been discovered almost everywhere on the planet, from the tops of glaciers to the bottom of the deepest sea trench. However, the effects of plastic pollution on lakes have received less attention than those of ocean pollution.
In water, plastic materials like carrier bags decompose and release simple carbon compounds that are somewhat distinct from those made when organic material like twigs and leaves decompose.
University of Cambridge researchers wanted to know what impact these substances had on the bacterial populations in 29 lakes throughout Scandinavia.
Bacteria degrade the carbon compounds in plastic to use as food for growth.
According to the researchers, enriching waters with specific species of bacteria could be a natural way to remove plastic pollution from the environment.
The effect is dramatic: when plastic pollution increased the overall carbon level in lake water by just 4%, the rate of bacterial growth more than doubled.
The findings suggest that plastic pollution in lakes is 'priming' bacteria for rapid growth, as the bacteria not only break down the plastic but are also better able to break down other natural carbon compounds in the lake.
Lake bacteria were discovered to prefer plastic-derived carbon compounds over natural carbon compounds. The researchers believe this is due to the carbon
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