Isolation of a novel microplastic-degrading bacterial strain: a promising agent for low-density polyethylene remediation.

This study investigates the biodegradation capabilities of two bacterial strains, Rhodococcus erythropolis and Paenarthrobacter nitroguajacolicus, identifying P. nitroguajacolicus as a novel candidate for its ability to degrade low-density polyethylene (LDPE), a major contributor to plastic pollution. Both strains were isolated from plastic-contaminated environments and cultivated in laboratory conditions with LDPE as the sole carbon source.

First record of plastic ingestion by a freshwater stingray.

The abundance and dispersion of plastic particles in aquatic ecosystems has become pervasive resulting in the incorporation of these materials into food webs. Here we describe the first record of plastic ingestion by the freshwater white-blotched river stingray Potamotrygon leopoldi (Potamotrygonidae), an endemic and threatened species in the Xingu River, Amazon basin. Potamotrygonidae stingrays inhabit exclusively Neotropical rivers, occupying rocky substrate habitats and feeding mainly on benthic macroinvertebrates.

Ingestion of microplastics and textile cellulose particles by some meiofaunal taxa of an urban stream.

Microplastics (MPs) and textile cellulose are globally pervasive pollutants in freshwater. In-situ studies assessing the ingestion of MPs by freshwater meiofauna are few. Here, we evaluated MP and textile cellulose ingestion by some meiofaunal taxa and functional guilds of a first-order stream in the city of Florence (Italy) by using a tandem microscopy approach (fluorescence microscopy and μFTIR).