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Undisclosed contribution of microbial assemblages selectively enriched by microplastics to the sulfur cycle in the large deep-water reservoir
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Researchers investigated how microbial communities growing on microplastics in a large Chinese reservoir contribute to the sulfur cycle, a key environmental process. They found that plastic-degrading bacteria involved in sulfur cycling were enriched on microplastic surfaces, with specific sulfur-oxidizing species acting as keystone organisms in the microbial network. The study suggests that microplastics create distinct microbial habitats that can influence important nutrient and chemical cycles in freshwater reservoirs.
The accumulation of microplastics in reservoirs due to river damming has drawn considerable attention due to their potential impacts on elemental biogeochemical cycling at the watershed scale. However, the effects of plastisphere communities on the sulfur cycle in the large deep-water reservoir remain poorly understood. Here, we collected microplastics and their surrounding environmental samples in the water and sediment ecosystems of Xiaowan Reservoir and found a significant spatiotemporal pattern of microplastics and sulfur distribution in this Reservoir. Based on the microbial analysis, plastic-degrading taxa (e.g., Ralstonia, Rhodococcus) involved in the sulfur cycle were enriched in the plastisphere of water and sediment, respectively. Typical thiosulfate oxidizing bacteria Limnobacter acted as keystone species in the plastisphere microbial network. Sulfate, oxidation reduction potential and organic matter drove the variations of the plastisphere. Environmental filtration significantly affected the plastisphere communities, and the deterministic process dominated the community assembly. Furthermore, predicted functional profiles related to sulfur cycling, compound degradation and membrane transport were significantly enriched in the plastisphere. Overall, our results suggest microplastics as a new microbial niche exert different effects in water and sediment environments, and provide insights into the potential impacts of the plastisphere on the sulfur biogeochemical cycle in the reservoir ecosystem.
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