Biofilms on plastic litter in an urban river
Our goal was to assess how plastic polymer properties influence biofilm activity and community composition across time. We incubated low-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene film, foamed polystyrene, and wood substrates in the Chicago River. On each substrate, we measured chlorophyll concentration, biofilm biomass, respiration, and flux of nitrogen gas, each week over six weeks. We sequenced 16S and 23S rRNA genes at multiple points to capture biofilm community composition across successional stages.