The objectives of this research project are: i) identification of microplastics in the sea sediments in a protected area of the Adriatic Sea, the Regional Natural Reserved Area Sentina in San Benedetto del Tronto (AP), and of the associated microorganisms, including species relevant for pathogenicity or for potential activity in bioremediation (plastics degradation); ii) study of genes and biological processes activated by plastic contamination and by their released substances in unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms, specifically the protozoan ciliate Euplotes crassus, for which the genome is annotated and some strains were collected in the same protected area of the Adriatic Sea.