Congratulations to Dr Ling Jin, Assistant Professor of CEE, and his collaborative team for their paper titled “Ecology and Risks of the Global Plastisphere as a Newly Expanding Microbial Habitat” being recognized as the Most Popular (2020-2024) by The Innovation, a prestigious journal under Cell Press (Impact Factor = 33.2) that ranked third among multidisciplinary journal. Dr Changchao Li (second from the left in the photo), the first author of the award-winning paper and a postdoctoral fellow supervised by Dr Ling Jin, received the award on behalf of the team at The Innovation Conference 2024.
The paper provides a global overview of the plastisphere by analyzing samples from freshwater, seawater, and land. The team found that the plastisphere hosts unique microbial communities that are more diverse and structured differently than those in natural habitats. Additionally, the nitrogen cycle is disrupted, especially in freshwater environments, where there is a high presence of bacteria that can release harmful substances like nitrite and nitrous oxide. There is also an increase in harmful microorganisms, including pathogens that affect animals, plants, and humans. The study warns that if plastic emissions continue to rise, the expanding plastisphere could lead to serious global health issues.
For original article, please refer to: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100543
