Impacts of nano- and micro-plastics exposure on zooplankton grazing, bacterial communities, and dimethylated sulfur compounds production in the microcosms

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is a prevalent volatile organic sulfur compound relevant to the global climate. Ecotoxicological effects of nano- and microplastics (NPs and MPs) on phytoplankton, zooplankton, and bacteria have been investigated by numerous studies. Yet, the influences of NPs/MPs on dimethylated sulfur compounds remains understudied. Herein, we investigated the impacts of polystyrene (PS) NPs/MPs (80 nm, 1 μm, and 10 μm) on zooplankton grazing, chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration, bacterial community, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), and DMS production in the microcosms. Our findings revealed that rotifer grazing increased the production of DMS in the absence of NPs/MPs but did not promote DMS production when exposed to NPs/MPs. The ingestion rates of the rotifer and copepod exposed to NPs/MPs at high concentrations were significantly reduced. NPs/MPs exposure significantly decreased DMS levels in the treatments with rotifers compared to the animal controls. In the bacterial microcosms, smaller NPs/MPs sizes were more detrimental to Chl a concentrations compared to larger sizes. The study revealed a stimulatory effect on Chl a concentrations, DMSP concentrations, and bacterial abundances when exposed to 10 μm MP with low concentrations. The effects of NPs/MPs on DMS concentrations were both dose- and size-dependent, with NPs showing greater toxicity compared to larger MPs. NPs/MPs led to changes in bacterial community compositions, dependent on both dosage and size. NPs caused a notable decrease in the alpha diversities and richness of bacteria compared to MPs. These results provide insights into the influences of NPs/MPs on food webs, and subsequently organic sulfur compounds cycles.