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Microplastics drive the reconfiguration of microbial sulfur cycling pathways in seagrass bed sediments
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Researchers used a 112-day microcosm experiment to show that three common microplastics — PLA, PE, and PS — each distinctly rewire sulfur-cycling microbial communities in seagrass sediments, shifting metabolism from biosynthetic toward dissimilatory energy-generating pathways and amplifying sulfide stress in ways that could undermine carbon burial and ecosystem resilience.
Microplastics (MPs) pollution threatens marine biogeochemical cycles, but its impact on the sediment sulfur cycle remains unclear. A 112-day microcosm incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of three common MPs, polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene (PE), and polystyrene (PS), on sulfur speciation, microbial communities, and functional genes in seagrass bed sediments using integrated amplicon sequencing and metagenomics. MPs significantly altered sediment sulfur speciation, with PLA inducing the strongest shifts, including 111.2% accumulation of total inorganic sulfate (TIS) and a 163.3% increase in TIS/Sulfide ratios, indicative of enhanced sulfur oxidation, while PE and PS promoted sustained sulfide accumulation. Distinct polymer-specific changes in sulfur-cycling bacteria communities were observed, with PLA suppressing the dominant Bradymonas (31.3% decrease) while enriching heterotrophic Sulfitobacter (26.5% increase), PE driving a transition towards autotrophic pathways with Thiohalomonas increasing by 272.8%, and PS selectively enriching generalist sulfur-oxidizing genera such as Roseovarius and Methyloceanibacter. Metagenomic analysis highlighted a shift from assimilatory biosynthetic pathways to dissimilatory energy-generating processes. These findings suggest that MPs intensify sulfide stress and disrupt sulfur metabolism, thereby reducing sediment biogeochemical stability and potentially impairing carbon burial and ecosystem resilience. These results provide critical insights into the ecological consequences of MP exposure on biogeochemical cycles in seagrass bed sediments.
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Researchers conducted a field microcosm experiment to study how micro- and nanoplastics affect marine plankton communities and the production of climate-relevant sulfur compounds. They found that medium and high concentrations of polystyrene, polyethylene, and polyamide particles disrupted zooplankton grazing and altered the production of dimethyl sulfide. The study suggests that plastic pollution could interfere with marine biogeochemical cycles that play a role in climate regulation.
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This study examined how polystyrene and polyphenylene sulfide microplastics affect microbial-mediated sulfur transformations in flooded soils. Researchers found that microplastic contamination significantly altered the microbial community structure involved in sulfur cycling, suggesting that microplastics could disrupt important nutrient processes in waterlogged agricultural soils.
Coupling of sulfate reduction and dissolved organic carbon degradation accelerated by microplastics in blue carbon ecosystems
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Researchers found that polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics in mangrove sediments accelerated the breakdown of dissolved organic carbon by boosting sulfate-reducing bacteria activity. Millimeter-sized PLA particles had a greater effect than micrometer-sized ones, fundamentally altering carbon and sulfur cycling in these important coastal ecosystems. This matters because mangrove sediments are major carbon stores, and microplastic contamination could speed up carbon release, worsening climate change.
Decoding the seagrass plastisphere: Metagenomic insights into biogeochemical cycling of biogenic elements and ecological consequences
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Plastic debris floating in seagrass meadows—vital "blue carbon" ecosystems that help absorb planet-warming CO2—creates a unique surface where microbes cluster and behave differently than they do in the surrounding water and sediment. This research found that these plastic-dwelling microbial communities may increase greenhouse gas release, produce more toxic hydrogen sulfide, and disrupt nutrient balance, potentially weakening seagrass health and its ability to fight climate change. While this study focused on ecosystem impacts rather than direct effects on people, healthier seagrass meadows support ocean health, c
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