The legacy and reach of anthropogenic influence is most clearly evidenced by its impact on the most 12 remote and inaccessible habitats on Earth. Here we identify extraordinary levels of persistent 13 organic pollutants in the endemic amphipod fauna from two of the deepest ocean trenches (>10,000 14 metres). Contaminant levels were considerably higher than documented for nearby regions of 15 heavy industrialisation, indicating bioaccumulation of anthropogenic contamination and inferring 16 that these pollutants are pervasive across the World's oceans and to full ocean depth. 17The oceans comprise the largest biome on the planet with the deep ocean operating as a potential 18 sink for the pollutants and litter that are discarded into the seas

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Microplastics in the biosphere are currently of great environmental concern because of their potential toxicity for aquatic biota and human health and association with pathogenic microbiota. Microplastics can occur in high abundance in all aquatic environments, including oceans, rivers and lakes. Recent findings have highlighted the role of microplastics as important vectors for microorganisms, which can form fully developed biofilms on this artificial substrate. Microplastics therefore provide new microbial niches in the aquatic environment, and the developing biofilms may significantly differ in microbial composition compared to natural free-living or particle-associated microbial populations in the surrounding water. In this article, we discuss the composition and ecological function of the microbial communities found in microplastic biofilms. The potential factors that influence the richness and diversity of such microbial microplastic communities are also evaluated. Microbe-microbe and microbe-substrate interactions in microplastic biofilms have been little studied and are not well understood. Multiomics tools together with morphological, physiological and biochemical analyses should be combined to provide a more comprehensive overview on the ecological role of microplastic biofilms. These new microbial niches have so far unknown consequences for microbial ecology and environmental processes in aquatic ecosystems. More knowledge is required on the microbial community composition of microplastic biofilms and their ecological functions in order to better evaluate consequences for the environment and animal health, including humans, especially since the worldwide abundance of microplastics is predicted to dramatically increase. Key Points • Bacteria are mainly studied in community analyses: fungi are neglected. • Microbial colonization of microplastics depends on substrate, location and time. • Community ecology is a promising approach to investigate microbial colonization. • Biodegradable plastics, and ecological roles of microplastic biofilms, need analysis.

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