The greatest, most destructive, and longest-lasting pollutant in several ecosystems is plastic. Plastic pollutants have fatal impacts on birds, worms, fish, turtles, seals, bivalves, and plankton in aquatic ecosystems. They cause physiological stress, toxicological injury, drowning, starvation, and decreased oxygen and light needed by organisms. Through their impacts on plankton, freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems, plastics can change the global carbon cycle. When plastics degrade, they release hazardous substances, microplastics, cellulosic microfibers, and metals into the water and soil, eventually making their way into the food webs. Plastic pollutants in the food chain can alter gene expressions, protein expression, and brain development, and cause disturbed feeding behavior, inflammation, slow growth, and decreased respiration rates. Mycoremediation (fungal-based biodegradation) of plastic pollutants is an efficient, affordable, accessible, and environmentally acceptable method of removing contaminants. Fungi remove plastic pollutants using nonspecific or enzymatic processes. In our chapter, we will cover the current state of plastic pollution, its harmful impacts on diverse life forms, as well as the mycoremediation techniques and mechanisms of plastic pollutants.
Research Abstract
Research Date
Research Department
Research Journal
Integrated Microbial Engineering
Research Member
Research Publisher
َ@ ELSIEVER
Research Rank
International
Research Website
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780443237966000079
Research Year
2025
Research Pages
69-89