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Differential Effects of Polyethylene and Polystyrene Microplastics on the Composition and Functional Attributes of the Oat (Avena sativa L.) Rhizosphere Microbiome
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Tiny plastic particles from packaging and other products (polyethylene and polystyrene) are building up in farm soils, and this study found they can disrupt the helpful bacteria living around oat plant roots, changing their diversity and how well they cycle carbon and nitrogen, nutrients crops need to grow. This matters because these soil microbes play a key role in soil fertility and food production, so ongoing plastic pollution could quietly affect the health of the crops we eventually eat, even before we consider whether microplastics end up directly in our food.
Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly accumulating in agricultural soils, while their effects on crop-associated rhizosphere microbial communities and ecological functions remain insufficiently understood, particularly for different polymer types. In this study, polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) microplastics with the same particle size (2 μm) were applied at different concentrations (0, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, and 5%, w/w) to investigate their effects on oat rhizosphere bacterial communities and predicted functional potentials. The results showed that microplastic addition significantly altered bacterial community diversity, composition, and predicted functional profiles. Compared to the control (Ctrl), the 1% PE treatment significantly reduced bacterial richness-related indices (p < 0.05), whereas PS mainly affected bacterial diversity. Microplastic treatments also reshaped dominant bacterial taxa and altered the predicted functional potentials associated with carbon and nitrogen cycling. In particular, the 1% PE treatment significantly reduced the predicted relative abundance of the carbon fixation-related gene cbbL (p < 0.05). In addition, high-concentration (5%) PE enhanced several predicted functional potentials related to nitrogen cycling, including nifH, ureA, and amoC. Overall, PE and PS microplastics induced polymer- and concentration-dependent changes in oat rhizosphere bacterial communities. These findings suggest that microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils may influence ecosystem processes by modifying microbial diversity and potential biogeochemical functions. This study provides new insights into the ecological consequences of different microplastic polymers in crop rhizosphere ecosystems and highlights the importance of considering polymer-specific effects when evaluating soil microplastic pollution.
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