The Problem
Researchers, environmentalists, and citizens are all concerned about the effects of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems. When broken down into small particles, small pieces of plastic, or microplastics, have been found floating at the water’s surface, in deep sea trenches, and even in the digestive tract of a wide variety of marine organisms (watch more here).
But how does this process start? In our experiments, we are examining plastic in coastal waters to check for signs of it breaking down and to determine what types of microbes tend to colonize it.
Plastic Selection and Sterilization
We use some of the most common plastic types: PET, HDPE, LDPE and PP, corresponding to US recycling codes # 1, 2, 4 and 5. In order to sterilize our samples, each plastic sample is washed with ethanol and treated with UV light, and all metal components are autoclaved.
Deployment
After sterilization, each sample is secured to a metal grid using color-coded zip ties. The grids are then loaded into a modified lobster trap that we secure to a pylon underneath Scripp’s Pier.
CURE Day 1: Field Trip
The first classroom module includes students visiting the field site and processing samples. Students will learn the basics of sterile technique and swab samples on different agar types for later characterization.
CURE Day 2 and Onwards: Mix and Match Modules!
We designed modular lessons that can be combined to match the goals and learning objectives of diverse courses. This CURE involves modules on:
- Characterizing colonies based on morphology
- Gram staining
- DNA extraction
- PCR
- Gel electrophoresis
- Sanger sequencing
- Genetic identification using the DNA Subway
- Next Generation Sequencing
- Biodiversity analyses using taxonomic tables derived from next generation sequencing
If you would like to observe or pilot these modules in your own courses, please contact us!
