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Spatial patterns of microplastic accumulation and microbial degradation function along coastal wetland tidal gradients
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This study of a Chinese tidal estuary found that microplastics accumulate most heavily in the high-tide zone, particularly in surface soils, with fragments (72–79%) and small particles under 100 µm dominating. Soil nitrogen chemistry emerged as the strongest factor associated with microplastic distribution, and microbial degradation potential varied across tidal zones. Understanding where microplastics pool in coastal wetlands — and how soil chemistry controls this — helps predict long-term contamination risks for both wetland ecosystems and the marine environments they connect to.
Coastal wetlands are key transition zones for microplastics (MPs) transporting from land to sea, where MPs can accumulate and persist, posing long-term ecological risks. This study examined MPs abundance patterns and microbial degradation-related functional potential across high-tidal (including vegetation area), middle-tidal, and low-tidal zones in the Qiantang River estuary, a pronounced dynamic tidal system, connecting the mainland to the East China Sea. MPs abundance increased with tidal elevation (low < middle < high-tidal zone), with peak concentrations in topsoil (low- and high-tidal zones) or the 10-20 cm layer (middle-tidal zone). MPs were mainly fragments (72.45%-79.47%) and 10-100 μm in size (81.89%). Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) identified soil physicochemical properties, particularly nitrogen-related parameters (NH4+-N and NO3--N), as the main factors associated with MPs distribution, followed by spatial factors (tidal zone and depth). Microbial degradation-related functional potential inferred from microbial community composition exhibited a significant negative association with MPs abundance. Vegetation within the tidal zone also influenced MPs patterns: rhizosphere soil (RS) had significantly higher MPs abundance (2633-3284 n g-1) and smaller particle sizes than bulk soils (1009-1536 n g-1), coinciding with increased MPs-degrading bacteria (e.g., Xanthomonadales, especially Stenotrophomonas) in the RS. These findings highlight the combined effects of tidal dynamics and rhizosphere interactions on MPs fate within coastal wetlands, providing crucial insights for the management of MPs pollution in these ecologically sensitive areas.
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Researchers investigated microplastic variation at small spatial and temporal scales in a tidal flat of the Yangtze Estuary, finding that surface sediments had higher microplastic abundances during neap tides than spring tides, and that vegetation zones had distinct microplastic composition compared to bare mudflat areas.
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Researchers conducted a three-month in-situ field investigation of polypropylene microplastic effects on sediment carbon and nitrogen cycling in both intertidal and supratidal zones of a coastal wetland. They found that high concentrations (2% w/w) of polypropylene microplastics significantly stimulated carbon-degrading enzyme activity, while the effects on total organic carbon and nitrogen cycling showed concentration-dependent variation across wetland zones.
Characteristics, influencing factors, and ecological risks of microplastics in the north branch tidal marshes of the Yangtze River estuary
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Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in tidal marshes at the Yangtze River estuary and found an average of about 507 particles per kilogram of sediment. The distribution was strongly influenced by salinity and vegetation type, with freshwater areas dominated by reeds containing more microplastics than saltwater zones. The study highlights how seawater intrusion and plant communities shape where microplastics accumulate in these ecologically sensitive coastal wetlands.
Microplastics as pathway-selective modulators rewire nitrogen cycling in coastal wetlands: Polymer identity outweighs concentration
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Coastal wetlands act like natural water filters, using bacteria to remove excess nitrogen pollution before it causes harmful algae blooms in our oceans. This study found that certain plastics—especially polystyrene (like foam cups) and polypropylene (common in packaging)—can disrupt this filtering process, causing wetlands to trap nitrogen as ammonium instead of safely releasing it as gas. This matters because it means plastic pollution isn't just about visible litter or ingestion risks—it could be quietly weakening one of nature's key defenses against water pollution that affects seafood safety and coastal ecos
[Advances in Research of the Effects and Mechanisms of Polyethylene Microplastics on Soil Nitrogen Transformation].
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This review examines the effects and mechanisms by which polyethylene microplastics — the dominant microplastic type in Chinese agricultural soils — influence elemental cycling processes in soil, summarizing findings on carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus dynamics under microplastic exposure.
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