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Surface dynamics of newly released microplastics during early-stage aging in coastal water: Physicochemical property alterations and microbial community successions
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Four common plastics (polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET) were placed in coastal seawater for one month to track surface changes and microbial growth. Surfaces showed increasing wear and chemical changes, while the microbial communities that formed differed by plastic type, with some plastics attracting more specialized organisms than others.
Predicting the environmental fate of marine microplastics (MPs) requires a process-based understanding of surface transformations upon exposure. However, current knowledge relies heavily on laboratory simulations or isolated physicochemical/microbial perspectives. Here, we conducted in situ aging of four globally abundant MPs-polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-in coastal waters within one month. Alterations in surface micro-morphology, nanomechanical properties, chemical functionalization, and elemental composition, alongside prokaryotic and eukaryotic community successions, were analyzed using a multi-dimensional framework. Scanning electron microscopy and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed progressive surface microscale modifications and oxidation across all polymers. Concurrently, atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy captured a volatile boundary layer, marked by fluctuating nanoscale roughness, adhesion, and stiffness, and elemental fluxes, reflecting dynamic biofilm attachment-detachment cycles. High-throughput 16S/18S rRNA sequencing demonstrated that plastisphere communities were distinct from ambient seawater, anchored by a conserved, hyper-diverse prokaryotic core alongside a fluctuating, less diverse eukaryotic assembly. Network analysis revealed highly cooperative structures with polymer-specific topologies, displaying a dense unified core module for PET but isolated, niche-separated sub-modules for PP that recruited specialized taxonomic cohorts. Polymer chemistry acted as a selective ecological filter for prokaryotes on PS, PP, and PET, but functioned as a featureless "blank slate" on PE. Conversely, all MP substrates served as isolated physical "islands" for eukaryotes, where spatial fragmentation and dispersal bottlenecks overrode chemical selection, driving stochasticity-dominated assembly. This work resolves early-stage marine plastisphere dynamics, providing a realistic framework for assessing long-term MP ecological risks.
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