Biofilm Formation and Plastic Degradation in Bacteria from Different Environments: Evidence for Phenotypic Acclimation and Metabolic Exaptation

Microbial communities inhabiting natural and anthropogenically impacted environments are exposed to diverse abiotic stressors that can influence the distribution of functional traits. However, distinguishing the processes underlying phenotypic patterns remains challenging in microbial systems, where ecological and evolutionary dynamics often overlap. In this study, we experimentally assessed the distribution of biofilm formation and plastic degradation capacity in bacterial isolates across envir