Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42364172›Full record

ArticleThe ISME journal2026

Density-mediated freshwater plastisphere microbiomes preferentially degrade conventional rather than biodegradable microplastics.

Haiyu Zhang, Peng Liu, Yiqi Chen, Jing Lv, Xinrui Zhang, Jiale Zhang, Yifan Sun, Chaoyi Wang, Shichen Wei, Xiaojuan Wang and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The ISME journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Haiyu ZhangState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
Peng LiuState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.ORCID 0000-0002-0792-0657
Yiqi ChenState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
Jing LvState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
Xinrui ZhangState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
Jiale ZhangState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
Yifan SunState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
Chaoyi WangState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
Shichen WeiState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
Xiaojuan WangState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0809-8594
Shixiang GaoState Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Green Resource Recycling, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Xun QianState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0102-535X
Hanzhong JiaState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
James M TiedjeState Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.

Funding

Dryland Agriculture Shaanxi Laboratory Foundation 2024ZY-JCYJ-02-25Key R&D Program of Shaanxi Province 2025SF-YBXM-523Key R&D projects in Henan Province 241111320200National Key R&D Program of China 2024YFC3713900National Natural Science Foundation of China 42107434National Natural Science Foundation of China 42477394
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The escalating demand for plastics leads to ubiquitous microplastic (MP) pollution worldwide. Existing evidence suggests that biodegradable MPs degrade faster than conventional MPs in aquatic environments. Here, we demonstrate the greater biodegradability of conventional polypropylene (PP) over biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) in freshwater based on field survey, mesocosm experiment, co-culture assay, and multi-omics analysis. The biodegradation rate is 3.3-fold higher for PP compared to PLA, and this difference is more pronounced between photoaged MPs (5.7-fold). The unexpected superior biodegradability of PP is supported by a greater diversity of MP-degrading bacteria in PP biofilm (predominantly aerobes) than in PLA biofilm (mainly facultative and obligate anaerobes). The inferior biodegradability of PLA is attributed to microbial growth constraints in the plastisphere driven by oxic-to-hypoxic/anoxic transition, oxygen-containing functional group detachment from the polymer, and lactide accumulation during long-term biodegradation. Our findings reveal previously overlooked but important environmental fates and impacts of biodegradable plastics against increasing substitution of conventional plastics with biodegradable alternatives.

Indexed as

BacteriaBiodegradable PlasticsFresh WaterMicrobiotaMicroplasticsPolypropylenesBiodegradation, EnvironmentalBiofilmsMultiomicsPolyestersBiodegradable PlasticsMicroplasticsPolyesterspoly(lactide)Polypropylenesmicrobial degradationmicroplasticsmulti-omicsphotoagingplastisphere

Identifiers

PMID42364172
PMCPMC13403190

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.