Prof. Nathanael JIN Ling, Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC), and Assistant Professor of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Health Technology and Informatics, was recently interviewed by BBC magazine Discover Wildlife regarding the current state of ocean ecosystem.
Prof. Jin’s pioneering research has mapped microbial communities living on ocean plastics worldwide, revealing their remarkable consistency. He explains that plastics, far from being mere litter, serve as habitats for dense, distinctive biofilms, often hosting more microbes per gram than natural particles. Algae and fungi colonise these surfaces, creating functioning ecosystems with their own food webs and nutrient cycles.
Larger organisms, such as barnacles and invertebrates, are drawn to plastics by chemical cues, sometimes using plastics as nurseries. The “plastisphere” is actively reshaping ocean chemistry and facilitating the global dispersal of microbes, as plastics travel vast distances via currents and shipping. Prof. Jin’s research shows that plastics bridge previously isolated ecosystems, enabling land-to-sea transfer of microbes.
While many of these hitchhikers are harmless, others, like Vibrio bacteria and toxic algae, pose risks to marine life and humans. The plastisphere therefore carries profound ecological and health implications, underscoring the urgent need to understand manage its impact.
Online coverage:
BBC Wildlife - https://www.discoverwildlife.com/environment/plastiphere
| Research Units | Research Institute for Future Food | Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development |
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