Investigating the Abundance of Microplastics and Potential Plastic-Degrading Bacteria in Local Freshwater Wetlands

• Main Author: DeAngelo, Cameron
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Boston College 2020
• Subjects: Microplastics; Biodegradation; Synthetic Plastics; Terrestrial; Bacteria; Vernal Pool
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108831

Thesis advisor: Heather C. Olins === This study creates a protocol to investigate microplastics in local freshwater wetlands surrounding Boston College. This study also investigated potential plastic-degrading bacteria in the sediment of local freshwater wetlands. A list of potential plastic-degrading bacterial species and genera were compiled from the literature. Using these compiled lists, we searched for these potential plastic-degrading organisms in our metagenomics and 16S datasets. Looking for potential correlations between abiotic factors and the abundance of potential plastic-degrading bacteria, for both data sets, it was found that sandy sediment had a higher abundance of potential plastic-degrading bacteria than non-sandy sediment. Finally, our list of plastic-degrading bacterial species was cross-referenced with a previously compiled list of potential pathogens. Of the 26 taxa in our sites that were identified as potential plastic-degrading bacteria, 57.69% of those taxa are also potentially pathogenic to humans. === Thesis (BS) — Boston College, 2020. === Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. === Discipline: Departmental Honors. === Discipline: Earth and Environmental Sciences.