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Microplastic pollution and its impact on marine microbes in Zhanjiang, China
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Analysis of offshore sediments near Zhanjiang, China, found microplastics dominated by polyamides, polyurethanes, and polyethylene in the 10–50 micrometer size range, with microbial community diversity and species richness measurably reduced in contaminated areas. Functional prediction analyses indicated that microplastic presence disrupts key microbial processes including nitrogen cycling and respiration, threatening foundational ecosystem services in coastal marine sediments.
As a new pollutant of global importance, microplastics have been proven in aquatic ecosystems. However, the effects of microplastics on offshore sediments have rarely been studied. In this study, sediments were collected from both sides of the sea area in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, China. The microplastics in the sediments were extracted through density flotation using ZnCl2 and analyzed using 16 S high-throughput sequencing and operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The results showed that the microplastics in the sediments mainly included polyamides, polyurethanes and polyethylenes. The particle size of the microplastics was mainly between 10 and 50 μm. TaX4FUN and FAPROTAX functional prediction analyses indicated that the microplastics in nearby sediments might affect nitrate reduction and respiration, photoautotrophy, phototrophy, and nitrogen respiration. Microplastics reduced the genetic diversity and species richness of bacteria in offshore sediments, the study found. For further research into the link between microorganisms and microplastics in offshore sediments, this work offers an important first experimental step.
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