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Effects of Inoculum Source and Incubation Temperature on Bacterial Community Structure and Predicted Functional Potential Associated with Polylactic Acid (PLA) Degradation
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Scientists found that different compost microbe sources and temperatures change which bacteria break down PLA, a common "biodegradable" plastic used in food packaging and utensils. Hotter compost conditions worked better and favored different bacteria than room-temperature setups. This matters because it helps identify which microbes and conditions actually break down these plastics, informing better composting practices and reducing plastic waste that could otherwise persist in the environment.
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a widely used biodegradable plastic, but the microbial community-level processes and functional potential underlying its biodegradation remain poorly understood.In this study, two compost inocula (C and K) were cultivated in PLA-containing enrichment medium under mesophilic (35℃) and thermophilic (58℃) conditions for 100 days.PLA particles showed increased surface roughness and erosion after enrichment, particularly under thermophilic conditions.Bacterial alpha diversity decreased in all enrichment cultures, and community structure was primarily shaped by inoculum source (PERMANOVA, R 2 = 0.177, p = 0.0002), followed by incubation temperature (R 2 = 0.131, p = 0.0039).Mesophilic cultures were dominated by Pseudoxanthomonas, Thermoflavifilum, Janthinobacterium, and Pseudomonas, whereas Thermopolyspora, Alicyclobacillus, and Thermoflavifilum predominated under thermophilic conditions.PICRUSt2-predicted functional profiles differed among enrichment conditions, particularly for KEGG Orthologs (KOs) potentially associated with ester-bond hydrolysis and downstream lactic acid metabolism.Exploratory eLSA network analysis further revealed inoculum-specific genus-KO associations.In inoculum C, Pseudoxanthomonas was positively associated with K12686 and K10804, while Pseudomonas was positively associated with K03778.In inoculum K, Pseudogracilibacillus and Oceanobacillus were positively associated with K03928, whereas Actinomadura and Bordetella were associated with K01046 and K03929.These results demonstrate that inoculum source and incubation temperature strongly shaped bacterial community structure and predicted functional profiles during PLA-containing enrichment, while the distinct genus-KO association patterns identify candidate taxa and predicted functions for further investigation of PLAassociated microbial processes.
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