TY  - JOUR
A1  - Amalfitano, Stefano
A1  - Corno, Gianluca
A1  - Eckert, Ester
A1  - Fazi, Stefano
A1  - Ninio, Shira
A1  - Callieri, Cristiana
A1  - Grossart, Hans-Peter
A1  - Eckert, Werner
T1  - Tracing particulate matter and associated microorganisms in freshwaters
JF  - Hydrobiologia : acta hydrobiologica, hydrographica, limnologica et protistologica
N2  - Sediment resuspension represents a key process in all natural aquatic systems, owing to its role in nutrient cycling and transport of potential contaminants. Although suspended solids are generally accepted as an important quality parameter, current monitoring programs cover quantitative aspects only. Established methodologies do not provide information on origin, fate, and risks associated with uncontrolled inputs of solids in waters. Here we discuss the analytical approaches to assess the occurrence and ecological relevance of resuspended particulate matter in freshwaters, with a focus on the dynamics of associated contaminants and microorganisms. Triggered by the identification of specific physical-chemical traits and community structure of particle-associated microorganisms, recent findings suggest that a quantitative determination of microorganisms can be reasonably used to trace the origin of particulate matter by means of nucleic acid-based assays in different aquatic systems.
KW  - Total suspended solids
KW  - Resuspended particulate
KW  - Turbidity
KW  - Sediment traps
KW  - Particle-associated microorganisms
KW  - Pathogens
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3260-x
SN  - 0018-8158
SN  - 1573-5117
VL  - 800
SP  - 145
EP  - 154
PB  - Springer
CY  - Dordrecht
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Eckert, Ester M.
A1  - Di Cesare, Andrea
A1  - Kettner, Marie Therese
A1  - Arias-Andres, Maria
A1  - Fontaneto, Diego
A1  - Grossart, Hans-Peter
A1  - Corno, Gianluca
T1  - Microplastics increase impact of treated wastewater on freshwater microbial community
JF  - Environmental pollution
N2  - Plastic pollution is a major global concern with several million microplastic particles entering every day freshwater ecosystems via wastewater discharge. Microplastic particles stimulate biofilm formation (plastisphere) throughout the water column and have the potential to affect microbial community structure if they accumulate in pelagic waters, especially enhancing the proliferation of biohazardous bacteria. To test this scenario, we simulated the inflow of treated wastewater into a temperate lake using a continuous culture system with a gradient of concentration of microplastic particles. We followed the effect of microplastics on the microbial community structure and on the occurrence of integrase 1 (intl), a marker associated with mobile genetic elements known as a proxy for anthropogenic effects on the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes. The abundance of intl increased in the plastisphere with increasing microplastic particle concentration, but not in the water surrounding the microplastic particles. Likewise, the microbial community on microplastic was more similar to the original wastewater community with increasing microplastic concentrations. Our results show that microplastic particles indeed promote persistence of typical indicators of microbial anthropogenic pollution in natural waters, and substantiate that their removal from treated wastewater should be prioritised. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KW  - Microplastics
KW  - Anthropogenic pollution
KW  - Treated wastewater
KW  - Freshwater microbial communities
KW  - Integrase 1
KW  - Biofilm
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.11.070
SN  - 0269-7491
SN  - 1873-6424
VL  - 234
SP  - 495
EP  - 502
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Oxford
ER  -