MinION DNA barcoding to compare biome after one month on glass, PET and polyethylene in the Mediterranean sea

In this study, we implemented a metabarcoding approach to compare the biome on different surfaces after one month in the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Samples were taken from glass, PET, polyethylene and open water from 5 locations off the coast of Herzliya beach and amplified with 16s or 18s primers to target prokaryotes as well as eukaryotic taxonomic groups. The barcodes were amplified and sequenced using the MinION nanopore platform with multiplexing and then subjected to an adapted bioinformatic pipeline to achieve optimal taxonomic characterization of the plastisphere compared to its environment.