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Terrestrial plastisphere as unique niches for fungal communities
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Researchers used 125 laboratory experiments to compare the fungi living on microplastics versus nearby soil, finding that microplastic surfaces host distinct fungal communities enriched in Penicillium and the potentially harmful pathogen Alternaria. These "plastisphere" fungal communities were less shaped by environmental conditions than soil communities, suggesting microplastics may create isolated niches that concentrate certain fungi and potentially reduce local biodiversity.
Global prevalence of microplastics underscores the urgent need to investigate the ecology and biogeochemistry of the plastisphere. However, plastisphere mycobiome, particularly in terrestrial environments, remains largely unexplored. We conducted a comparative analysis of soil and plastisphere fungal communities using 125 experimental microcosms. Our results revealed distinct taxonomic structures between these two environments, with the genera Penicillium and pathogenic Alternaria being specifically enriched in the plastisphere. In comparison with soil communities, plastisphere communities exhibited weaker associations with environmental variables. Stochastic processes were found to be primary drivers of plastisphere fungal community assembly. Limited dispersal of fungal communities on soil microplastics was obtained, suggesting potential implications for taxa isolation or even diversity loss. The expanding plastisphere would pose critical planetary ecology challenges. Our findings highlight plastisphere act as unique niches for fungal communities that are less influenced by environmental variables, providing new insights into the ecology of the soil plastisphere. Fungal communities on microplastics in the terrestrial biosphere are enriched in the genera Penicillium and pathogenic Alternaria compared to communities in soil samples, suggest analyses of 125 experimental microcosms.
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Researchers studied the communities of bacteria and fungi that colonize microplastic surfaces in freshwater and seawater, forming what scientists call the plastisphere. These microplastic-associated communities were distinctly different from those in surrounding water, and included a higher proportion of disease-causing organisms and species involved in pollutant degradation. The findings suggest that microplastics create new habitats that can harbor pathogens and alter natural microbial ecosystems in ways that may affect water quality and human health.
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Researchers studied how leftover plastic film in farmland creates a unique microbial environment called a plastisphere, where different bacteria and fungi colonize compared to the surrounding soil. The plastic surfaces attracted more pathogens and bacteria involved in nitrogen and sulfur cycling, potentially increasing nutrient loss from agricultural soil. This finding is concerning because it suggests microplastic contamination in farmland does not just sit there passively but actively changes the soil ecosystem in ways that could affect crop health and food safety.
The Spatiotemporal Successions of Bacterial and Fungal Plastisphere Communities and Their Effects on Microplastic Degradation in Soil Ecosystems
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Researchers tracked how bacterial and fungal communities colonize microplastic surfaces in soil over time, finding that the surrounding soil type had the strongest influence on which microbes grew on the plastics. The microbial communities on microplastics were less diverse and less stable than those in the surrounding soil, but they attracted microbes with a higher capacity to break down organic carbon. The study suggests that microplastic surfaces become hotspots for carbon metabolism in soil ecosystems.
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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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