Vegetation, salinity, and tides drive nitrogen cycling in Mangrove plastispheres

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants in mangrove ecosystems, with significant implications for microbial communities and nitrogen (N) cycling. However, the ecological processes shaping MP-associated microbial assemblages across environmental gradients remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted in situ and microcosm experiments to investigate microbial community composition and N-cycling gene abundance on three MP types-polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-across salinity gradients (0-30 ppt) and under simulated tidal fluctuations over 35 days. High-throughput sequencing revealed distinct microbial communities on MPs compared to surrounding soils, dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. Bacterial diversity in PE and PS peaked at moderate salinity (10 ppt), while PVC-associated diversity declined with salinity. Structural equation modeling showed that salinity directly and indirectly influenced MP-associated diversity via soil microbial communities. During tidal cycling, microbial diversity on MPs increased over time, contrasting with declining diversity in soils. PS biofilms exhibited the fastest community turnover (R² = 0.79). MPs harbored significantly higher abundances of 15 N-cycling genes (except hao) than soils (P < 0.05), with PS and PE supporting the highest gene levels under salinity gradients and tidal exposure. Denitrification and nitrification gene abundances peaked at intermediate salinity (20 ppt) and day 14 of tidal simulation, respectively. These findings demonstrate that MP type, vegetation, salinity, and hydrological dynamics jointly regulate plastisphere development and microbial N cycling, highlighting the multifaceted ecological impacts of MPs in mangrove ecosystems.