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Niche vs. habitat: Insights of aging microplastics and wetland types on bacterial community assembly
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Researchers studied how bacterial communities assemble on microplastic surfaces (plastispheres) versus surrounding soil in three types of wetlands using low-density polyethylene. They found that wetland habitat type had a stronger influence on bacterial diversity patterns than whether the plastic was virgin or aged, with plastisphere communities showing lower diversity and more stochastic assembly compared to soil communities.
Microorganisms can colonize the surface of microplastics (MPs) to form a distinctive microbiome, known as a "plastisphere" which is regarded as an anthropogenic niche for microbial growth. However, bacterial community assembly in virgin and aging MP plastispheres across different habitats is poorly understood. This study aims to assess the variations in bacterial community assembly across different niches and habitats with an in situ experiment, in which constructed forest wetland (FW), natural lake wetland (LW), and lotus pond wetland (LP) were habitats, and plastispheres of virgin and aging low-density polyethylene (LDPE) MPs, as well as surrounding wetland soils were niches. Significant niche-related differences in bacterial communities were observed, with lower diversity and enrichment of potential plastic-degrading bacteria in the plastisphere than in the soil bacterial communities. Furthermore, habitat-related differences exerted a more pronounced influence on the beta-diversity patterns of the bacterial communities. The linear regression analyses indicated that the local species pool contributed more to bacterial community assembly in the LW wetland, whereas the relative abundance of species was the primary factor in the LP wetland. The null model analysis indicated that plastisphere bacterial communities were predominantly driven by the stochastic process, with a more deterministic assembly observed in the LP wetland and soil bacterial communities. Additionally, the primary ecological process shaping plastisphere communities shifted from drift in the virgin LDPE to homogenising dispersal in the aging LDPE. This study provides new insights into the fate and ecological impacts of MPs in wetlands, thereby facilitating the effective regulations of plastic pollution.
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Researchers sampled microplastics and surrounding soils at 27 urban wetland sites in China to study how bacteria colonize plastic surfaces, forming communities known as plastispheres. They found that plastispheres selectively recruit soil bacteria but harbor only 52-69% of the bacterial diversity found in adjacent soil. The study reveals that soil nutrient levels and moisture conditions strongly influence how these microplastic-associated microbial communities assemble.
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Researchers characterized bacterial communities colonizing biodegradable and conventional microplastics in soil, finding that polymer type and biodegradability shaped distinct plastisphere communities, with deterministic processes playing a stronger role in community assembly than in surrounding soil.
Distinct microbial communities in the microplastisphere of inland wetlands: Diversity, composition, co-occurrence networks, and functions.
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Researchers collected samples from different inland wetland types to characterize the microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces (the microplastisphere), finding distinct bacterial and fungal communities compared to surrounding soils. Community composition varied by wetland type and plastic surface, highlighting the ecological diversity of plastic-associated microbiomes in freshwater habitats.
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Researchers incubated five common microplastic polymer types in landfill soil for 14 months and used 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize the plastisphere communities that assembled on each polymer. Polymer type was a significant deterministic factor in plastisphere microbiome composition, which differed from surrounding soil communities and varied over time.
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Researchers investigated how microbial communities colonize different types of microplastic polymers in freshwater lakes. The study found that bacteria and single-celled organisms follow distinct assembly patterns on microplastic surfaces, with colonization time, location, and polymer type all influencing community composition. These findings suggest microplastics serve as carriers that can promote microbial spread in aquatic environments.
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