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Co-contamination of hybrid microplastics and PFOA/GenX alters rhizosphere bacterial–fungal communities and root performance of Eichhornia crassipes
Original title: Co-contamination of hybrid microplastics and PFOA/GenX alters rhizosphere bacterial–fungal communities and root performance of Eichhornia crassipes
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Scientists studied how microplastics and "forever chemicals" (PFAS) together affect water hyacinth plants used to clean up polluted water, finding that the mix of plastic types disrupts the helpful bacteria and fungi living on plant roots, which in turn affects how well the plants remove pollutants from water. This matters because floating plants like these are used in real-world water treatment systems, and understanding how combined plastic and PFAS pollution weakens their cleanup power could help us design better, more effective ways to filter contaminants out of drinking water sources.
This study investigates bacterial-fungal interactions in the rhizosphere of floating macrophytes co-contaminated by microplastics (MP) and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and explores how MP composition influences root health and nutrient removal. Methodologically, we design a hydroponic experiment: eleven MP-composition schemes were constructed using polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene (CK sequence), and Eichhornia crassipes was cultivated under these exposures. The comparison sequences included treatments with PFOA and GenX (OA and GX sequences). High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and ITS genes was performed to profile rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities. Root performance was evaluated using integrative indicators that reflect rhizosphere health and nutrient removal efficiency. The results showed that MP composition shifted bacterial and fungal phylum-compositions without altering the dominant taxa-Proteobacteria (21.77∼67.41%) and Bacteroidota (9.43∼39.60%) for bacteria and Rozellomycota (11.36∼82.81%) and Ascomycota (9.17∼48.38%) for fungi. MP diversity significantly influenced bacterial α-diversity in the OA sequence (k = 0.171∼0.472) and fungal α-diversity in the CK sequence (k = -0.458∼0.087). β-diversity analysis revealed distinct bacterial and fungal response patterns to MP variation across sequences. In the GX sequence, the bacterial assembly was predominantly shaped by homogeneous selection with 50.09% contribution. MP composition also modulated bacterial-fungal co-occurrence networks, with fungal participation notably weakened under PFAS exposure. Under PFOA co-contamination, MP type acted as a module hub in the microbial network. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) showed that MP composition primarily regulated root performance via hydrochemistry, with bacterial-fungal interactions significantly affecting root performance only in the presence of PFOA (PC=-0.194). This study enhances the understanding of microbial interactions in nutrient removal and root tolerance of floating macrophytes exposed to combined MP and PFAS pollution. It also provides an exploration on utilization of floating macrophyte-based remediation, identifying MP composition as a potential factor.
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