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Polystyrene microplastics alter plankton community and enhance greenhouse gas emissions: A case study in the China coastal sea
Summary
Researchers demonstrated through ship-based and laboratory experiments that polystyrene microplastics suppress phytoplankton growth by up to 82 percent and increase dissolved organic carbon accumulation in coastal seawater. The microplastics restructured plankton communities and enhanced the production of brominated volatile halocarbons, which are ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in coastal waters may have cascading effects on marine carbon cycling and atmospheric chemistry.
Brominated volatile halocarbons (Br-VHCs) emitted from the ocean are the main ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases, yet their production dynamics by microorganisms under anthropogenic stressors such as microplastics perturbation are unknown. Here, through coupled ship-based incubations (Yellow Sea) and laboratory experiments, we demonstrate that 1 μm polystyrene (PS) microplastics addition inhibited phytoplankton growth with maximal suppression rates of 82.35% and increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC) accumulation by 91.38%. PS microplastic exposure restructured eukaryotic communities, with Diatoma dominance. Plankton community variation after PS microplastics addition linked to Br-VHCs production, with Arcocellulus (phytoplankton) and Pseudophaeobacter (bacteria) as keystone taxa to explain Br-VHCs variance. Under PS treatment, Br-VHCs emissions increased by up to 36.89%, driven by oxidative stress (ROS levels 4.15-fold higher than controls) and DOC accumulation, mechanistically related to H₂O₂-mediated halogenation. These findings reveal plastic pollution is a catalytic force in marine halogen biogeochemistry, highlighting the reassessment of oceanic climate feedbacks under anthropogenic forcing.
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