Marine microbiologists from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research discovered the fungus Parengyodontium album living on plastic litter in the ocean can break down particles of polyethylene, the most common plastic found in the ocean. The fungus joins a short list of plastic-degrading marine fungi. Lead author Annika Vaksmaa is excited about their ability to quantify the degradation process. The researchers also found that sunlight is essential for the fungus to break down plastic. Vaksmaa believes there are more plastic-degrading fungi in deeper layers of the ocean. This discovery is crucial as plastic pollution in the ocean continues to increase.
https://www.nioz.nl/en/news/fungus-breaks-down-ocean-plastic