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Full-Text Articles in Biology
Biomass Estimation Of Marine Biofilms On Plastic Surfaces, Kian Banihashemi, Fernando Javier Gil
Biomass Estimation Of Marine Biofilms On Plastic Surfaces, Kian Banihashemi, Fernando Javier Gil
Biological Sciences
Plastics have become a major source of marine pollution, which threatens food safety and quality, human health, and marine ecosystems. Due to the drastic negative effects of plastics in a marine environment, alternative biodegradable plastics are being generated that are more eco-friendly and have less environmental impact. Though some of these plastics are known to biodegrade, the process of degradation for bioplastics has not been heavily studied in a marine environment. This pilot project sought to both quantify the process of biodegradation and compare across different methods for effectiveness of biomass estimation, which serves as an indicator of biodegradation. Plastics …
Insight Into The Molecular Mechanisms For Microcystin Biodegradation In Lake Erie And Lake Taihu, Lauren E. Krausfeldt, Morgan M. Steffen, Robert M. Mckay, George S. Bullerjahn, Gregory L. Boyer, Steven W. Wilhelm
Insight Into The Molecular Mechanisms For Microcystin Biodegradation In Lake Erie And Lake Taihu, Lauren E. Krausfeldt, Morgan M. Steffen, Robert M. Mckay, George S. Bullerjahn, Gregory L. Boyer, Steven W. Wilhelm
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications
Microcystins are potent hepatotoxins that are frequently detected in fresh water lakes plagued by toxic cyanobacteria. Microbial biodegradation has been referred to as the most important avenue for removal of microcystin from aquatic environments. The biochemical pathway most commonly associated with the degradation of microcystin is encoded by the mlrABCD (mlr) cassette. The ecological significance of this pathway remains unclear as no studies have examined the expression of these genes in natural environments. Six metatranscriptomes were generated from microcystin-producing Microcystis blooms and analyzed to assess the activity of this pathway in environmental samples. Seventy-eight samples were collected from Lake Erie, …