Did you know that a species of bacteria that resides in the ocean is responsible for producing 10% of the oxygen that we breathe in? Now, a new study has found that the plastic polluting the world's oceans is negatively affecting the oxygen levels that these bacteria produce.
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from Macquarie University in Australia have examined the effects that plastics have on a type of photosynthetic marine bacteria called Prochlorococcus.

They have published their findings in the journal Communications Biology.

"These tiny microorganisms are critical to the marine food web, contribute to carbon cycling, and are thought to be responsible for up to 10% of the total global oxygen production," says co-author Lisa Moore.

"So, one in every 10 breaths of oxygen you breathe in is thanks to these little guys, yet almost nothing is known about how marine bacteria, such as Prochlorococcus, respond to human pollutants."

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