Complex interactions among temperature, microplastics and cyanobacteria may facilitate cyanobacteria proliferation and microplastic deposition

Abstract

Cyanobacterial blooms are a global concern prone to causing environmental and economic damages and are tightly linked to anthropogenic nutrient inputs. Likewise, microplastic pollution has also become globally ubiquitous inevitably co-occurring with blooms. However, little is known on how microplastics influence cyanobacterial physiologically and how potential physiological changes can affect their buoyancy, ultimately impacting their fate, and transport, including deposition during bloom events. Interactions of environmental relevant concentrations of high-density polyethylene microplastics (MPs) (0-0.4 mg/mL) and temperatures (2.5-32.5 °C) were evaluated to assess the effects of MPs on interactions of cyanobacteria Anabaena variabilis's growth, total organic carbon concentrations, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production, and MP deposition. Microplastics both stimulated and inhibited A. variabilis growth depending on the concentration. Lower MPs concentrations (0.1-0.2 mg/L) increased A. variabilis growth while higher MP concentrations (>0.3 mg/mL) impeded it across all temperatures studied. Carbon sources leached from MPs may have been a contributing factor to the increased growth at lower MPs concentration, while higher MPs concentration potentially shaded A. variabilis inhibiting its growth. Shading may have induced stress which corresponded with an observed increase in EPS production by A. variabilis when exposed to MP. Extracellular polymeric substances generation activated under adverse circumstances (MPs 0.4 mg/mL) enhanced MP deposition. Overall, our findings indicate that MPs play an important role in cyanobacterial blooms, and that these blooms may enhance MPs deposition.

Keywords: Aquatic ecosystem; Emerging pollutants; Extracellular Polymeric substances; Food chain; Freshwater; HABS.