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Microplastics trigger sediment organic carbon pools stabilization pathways: Evidence from microbial mediated DOM turnover
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Lab sediment mixed with two types of plastic (polyethylene and polylactic acid) for 100 days released more carbon dioxide and methane and changed the sediment's dissolved organic matter and microbial communities. Aged polylactic acid caused the biggest changes, increasing sediment oxidation and altering bacterial, fungal and archaeal community networks involved in carbon breakdown.
Lake sediment serves as crucial reservoirs of organic carbon, yet the increasing input of microplastics (MPs) has raised significant concerns regarding their ecological stability. However, the processes by which MPs behavior on lake sediment organic carbon pool dynamics and microbial processes remain poorly elucidated. In this study, virgin polyethylene (PE) and polylactic acid (PLA), subjected to varying degrees of photoaging, were introduced into sediment and incubated for 100 days to investigate the cascading effects on organic carbon dynamics and microbial community succession. The results demonstrated that MPs addition enhanced sediment mineralization, elevating cumulative emissions of CH 4 and CO 2 . Nevertheless, MPs exposure reduced protein and phenolic-like unstable components in sediment dissolved organic matter (DOM), driving DOM composition to shift toward more aromatic and oxidized forms, with aged PLA exhibiting the highest production rate. This phenomenon was attributed to the conversion of unsaturated aliphatic and phenolic compounds, which played a critical role in the process of DOM turnover. Furthermore, PLA amendment significantly increased the oxidation degree of sediment compared to the PE, with aged MPs showing more pronounced effects. Sediment bacterial, fungal and archaeal communities exhibited dynamic structural and functional responses to MPs perturbation over time, and the PLA-MPs amendment could increase the complexity and stability of microbial co-occurrence network. Notably, bacterial-derived CAZymes-encoded genes played a dominant role in carbon degradation. This study provides novel insights into how MPs alter sediment organic carbon pools stability and reshape microbial metabolic networks.
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This study investigated how the presence of microplastics in marine sediments affects microbial communities and, specifically, the methane cycle, finding that microplastics significantly altered microbial community structure and function. Since marine sediment microbes play a critical role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic contamination could have broader climate-relevant effects beyond direct toxicity.
Differential carbon accumulation of microbial necromass and plant lignin by pollution of polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics in soil
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This study found that both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics changed how carbon is stored in soil. The plastics increased carbon from dead microbes while decreasing carbon from plant material, with most of the additional soil carbon coming from fungal remains. These changes to soil chemistry matter because they could affect agricultural productivity and the ability of soil to store carbon, with broader implications for climate and food systems.
Effects of microplastic particles on carbon source metabolism and bacterial community in freshwater lake sediments
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A microcosm experiment tested how four common plastic types affect carbon metabolism and bacterial communities in freshwater lake sediments, finding that microplastics disrupted microbial carbon cycling and altered community composition.
Colonization time of plastisphere drives the dynamics of organic carbon stability and microbial communities in seagrass bed sediments
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Researchers conducted a 56-day experiment to study how microplastic biofilm formation affects organic carbon stability and microbial communities in seagrass bed sediments. They found that both polystyrene and polylactic acid microplastics altered microbial community structure and influenced carbon pool stability in the sediments over time. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may pose risks to carbon cycling and ecological functioning in seagrass ecosystems.
Laboratory tidal microcosm deciphers responses of sediment archaeal and bacterial communities to microplastic exposure
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Researchers used a laboratory tidal simulation to study how different types of microplastics affect microbial communities in intertidal sediments over 30 days. They found that biodegradable plastics like polylactic acid significantly shifted both archaeal and bacterial community structures, particularly at higher concentrations. The study suggests that even so-called biodegradable plastics can substantially alter the microbial ecosystems in coastal sediment environments.
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