Abstract
Mangroves, a major ecosystem for carbon sequestration, have been recently identified as a microplastic sink, yet the impact of microplastics on the mangrove microbial community is poorly known. Here, we investigated the metabolic activities of mangrove rhizosphere microbiome in the presence of polyethylene, polystyrene, polyamide, and polyvinylchloride, in microcosms, using Biolog™ Ecoplates. Results show that microbial communities in mangrove sediment hold their functional diversity and comprehensive metabolic activity within 56 days of microplastic exposure. However, polyamide and polyvinylchloride microplastics induced a 59.6–66.7% reduction in the rhizosphere microbes’ utilization for their preferred polymer carbon sources. Microbes exposed to polyethylene microplastics showed an activated biotransformation for nitrogen-contained carbon sources. Polyethylene and polyamide microplastics caused a 20.1–22.4% loss available nitrogen. Overall, microplastics are altering the carbon and nitrogen metabolism activities of microbiomes in mangrove wetlands.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Analytical and Testing Center of Guangdong Ocean University for the experimental guidance and help.
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This work was supported by Project of Enhancing School with Innovation of Guangdong Ocean University (2020ZDZX2029), Shenzhen Science and Technology R&D Fund (KCXFZ202002011011057, JCYJ20210324122606017, and GJHZ20210705142000003), Postgraduate Education Innovation Project of Guangdong Ocean University (202147), and Training Project of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Undergraduates (202110566033).
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HX performed experiments and writing—original draft preparation. BL helped with data curation. ZL performed experiments and revised the manuscript. ZL performed experiments. DL took part in data curation, and LH took part in investigation. ZD was involved in visualization. RS contributed to validation and formal analysis. SS participated in project administration. CL was responsible for system design supervision and funding acquisition.
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Xie, H., Li, B., Lu, Z. et al. Microplastics modify the microbial-mediated carbon metabolism in mangroves. Environ Chem Lett 22, 961–966 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-024-01704-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-024-01704-8