Time-dependent effects of microplastics on soil bacteriome

Abstract

Microplastic threats to biodiversity, health and ecological safety are adding to concern worldwide, but the real impacts on the functioning of organisms and ecosystems are obscure owing to their inert characteristics. Here we investigated the long-lasting ecological effects of six prevalent microplastic types: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) on soil bacteria at a 2 % (w/w) level. Due to the inertia and lack of available nitrogen of these microplastics, their effects on bacteriome tended to converge after one year and were strongly different from their short-term effects. The soil volumes around microplastics were very specific, in which the microplastic-adapted bacteria (e.g., some genera in Actinobacteria) were enriched but the phyla Bacteroidetes and Gemmatimonadetes declined, resulting in higher microbial nitrogen requirements and reduced organic carbon mineralization. The reshaped bacteriome was specialized in the genetic potential of xenobiotic and lipid metabolism as well as related oxidation, esterification, and hydrolysis processes, but excessive oxidative damage resulted in severe weakness in community genetic information processing. According to model predictions, microplastic effects are indirectly derived from nutrients and oxidative stress, and the effects on bacterial functions are stronger than on structure, posing a heavy risk to soil ecosystems.

Keywords: Functional profile; Long-term effects; Microplastics; Soil bacteriome; Soil properties.