fungi could be the answer Britt A. Bunyard T
he development in plastics, just in the past few decades, has brought about many wonderful advances
for humanity. A building material that can be strong, lightweight, and so malleable that it can be made into just about any shape, there really seems no limit as to its uses. Te downside is that we’re making too much of the stuff and when it outlives its purpose, much of it gets thrown away. We’re now being buried under landfills full of the stuff. But the worst part is that long-lived plastics don’t always get buried and stay there. Te ubiquitous disposable plastic bags are now seen pretty much
everywhere on the planet from urban roadsides to remote streams and waterways. Plastic bottles litter parks and beaches. And this is only part of the story, this is the large detritus we can easily see. As plastic breaks down into ever smaller pieces and particles, and then finally micro particles … where does that end up? Te answer is everywhere. Plastic pollution is universal and now viewed as an emerging environmental and human health crisis. Plastic pollution is projected to escalate over the upcoming decades, but critical knowledge gaps and uncertainties remain about its effects. Te effects of “microplastics” (defined
as plastic debris less than 5 mm in size) in the environment are wide ranging and only now are we beginning to get a handle on them. Just what are they and where do they come from? Microplastics
are created by the weathering and breakdown of plastic objects, car tires, clothing, paint coatings, and leakage of preproduction pellets and powders. Tey may also be intentionally added to the products of daily life (e.g., cosmetics and abrasive cleaners). In short, their source is all around us in our daily lives. International teams of researchers are looking at the global impact of microplastics. So many questions about so much plastic. For example, scientists know little about how microplastics move through terrestrial ecosystems, but evidence suggests percolation from the surface to deeper layers, resuspension into the atmosphere, and transport into ground and surface waters. In streams, microplastics can be continuously deposited and resuspended, buried in sediments, or exported to downstream ecosystems including lakes, estuaries, and the ocean. Also, very little is known about how microplastics move through food webs, but some evidence suggests trophic transfer—that is, plastic that is ingested by one organism, can wind up in a larger predator of that prey species.
56 FUNGI Volume 14:4 Fall 2021
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