Microplastic polymer properties as deterministic factors driving terrestrial plastisphere microbiome assembly and succession in the field

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  • University of Bayreuth
  • German Institute of Rubber Technology (DIK e.V.)
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Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2681-2697
Number of pages17
JournalEnvironmental microbiology
Volume25
Issue number12
Early online date12 Oct 2022
Publication statusPublished - 19 Dec 2023

Abstract

Environmental microplastic (MP) is ubiquitous in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems providing artificial habitats for microbes. Mechanisms of MP colonization, MP polymer impacts, and effects on soil microbiomes are largely unknown in terrestrial systems. Therefore, we experimentally tested the hypothesis that MP polymer type is an important deterministic factor affecting MP community assembly by incubating common MP polymer types in situ in landfill soil for 14 months. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing indicated that MP polymers have specific impacts on plastisphere microbiomes, which are subsets of the soil microbiome. Chloroflexota, Gammaproteobacteria, certain Nitrososphaerota, and Nanoarchaeota explained differences among MP polymers and time points. Plastisphere microbial community composition derived from different MP diverged over time and was enriched in potential pathogens. PICRUSt predictions of pathway abundances and quantitative PCR of functional marker genes indicated that MP polymers exerted an ambivalent effect on genetic potentials of biogeochemical cycles. Overall, the data indicates that (i) polymer type as deterministic factor rather than stochastic factors drives plastisphere community assembly, (ii) MP impacts greenhouse gas metabolism, xenobiotic degradation and pathogen distribution, and (iii) MP serves as an ideal model system for studying fundamental questions in microbial ecology such as community assembly mechanisms in terrestrial environments.

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Sustainable Development Goals

Cite this

Microplastic polymer properties as deterministic factors driving terrestrial plastisphere microbiome assembly and succession in the field. / Rohrbach, Stephan; Gkoutselis, Gerasimos; Hink, Linda et al.
In: Environmental microbiology, Vol. 25, No. 12, 19.12.2023, p. 2681-2697.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Rohrbach S, Gkoutselis G, Hink L, Weig AR, Obst M, Diekmann A et al. Microplastic polymer properties as deterministic factors driving terrestrial plastisphere microbiome assembly and succession in the field. Environmental microbiology. 2023 Dec 19;25(12):2681-2697. Epub 2022 Oct 12. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.16234, 10.15488/13680
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title = "Microplastic polymer properties as deterministic factors driving terrestrial plastisphere microbiome assembly and succession in the field",
abstract = "Environmental microplastic (MP) is ubiquitous in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems providing artificial habitats for microbes. Mechanisms of MP colonization, MP polymer impacts, and effects on soil microbiomes are largely unknown in terrestrial systems. Therefore, we experimentally tested the hypothesis that MP polymer type is an important deterministic factor affecting MP community assembly by incubating common MP polymer types in situ in landfill soil for 14 months. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing indicated that MP polymers have specific impacts on plastisphere microbiomes, which are subsets of the soil microbiome. Chloroflexota, Gammaproteobacteria, certain Nitrososphaerota, and Nanoarchaeota explained differences among MP polymers and time points. Plastisphere microbial community composition derived from different MP diverged over time and was enriched in potential pathogens. PICRUSt predictions of pathway abundances and quantitative PCR of functional marker genes indicated that MP polymers exerted an ambivalent effect on genetic potentials of biogeochemical cycles. Overall, the data indicates that (i) polymer type as deterministic factor rather than stochastic factors drives plastisphere community assembly, (ii) MP impacts greenhouse gas metabolism, xenobiotic degradation and pathogen distribution, and (iii) MP serves as an ideal model system for studying fundamental questions in microbial ecology such as community assembly mechanisms in terrestrial environments.",
author = "Stephan Rohrbach and Gerasimos Gkoutselis and Linda Hink and Weig, {Alfons R} and Martin Obst and Astrid Diekmann and Adrian Ho and Gerhard Rambold and Horn, {Marcus A}",
note = "Funding Information: This study was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)—SFB 1357–391977956; subproject C04 and A02. Our gratitude is dedicated to Zweckverband Abfallwirtschaft Region Hannover, Germany, for the possibility to perform our field study at their property and for support of their team during sampling. The authors would also like to thank Peter Strohriegl and Lisa Weber (CRC 1357 Microplastic subproject Z01) for provision of microplastic particles and measurements of MP properties. Furthermore, we are thankful to Antonia Freiberger (BayCEER, Bayreuth; Germany) for her technical assistance during the CLSM. Anne Herwig and Leopold Sauheitl (Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany) are acknowledged for technical support during the soil characterization. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.",
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AU - Rohrbach, Stephan

AU - Gkoutselis, Gerasimos

AU - Hink, Linda

AU - Weig, Alfons R

AU - Obst, Martin

AU - Diekmann, Astrid

AU - Ho, Adrian

AU - Rambold, Gerhard

AU - Horn, Marcus A

N1 - Funding Information: This study was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)—SFB 1357–391977956; subproject C04 and A02. Our gratitude is dedicated to Zweckverband Abfallwirtschaft Region Hannover, Germany, for the possibility to perform our field study at their property and for support of their team during sampling. The authors would also like to thank Peter Strohriegl and Lisa Weber (CRC 1357 Microplastic subproject Z01) for provision of microplastic particles and measurements of MP properties. Furthermore, we are thankful to Antonia Freiberger (BayCEER, Bayreuth; Germany) for her technical assistance during the CLSM. Anne Herwig and Leopold Sauheitl (Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany) are acknowledged for technical support during the soil characterization. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.

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N2 - Environmental microplastic (MP) is ubiquitous in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems providing artificial habitats for microbes. Mechanisms of MP colonization, MP polymer impacts, and effects on soil microbiomes are largely unknown in terrestrial systems. Therefore, we experimentally tested the hypothesis that MP polymer type is an important deterministic factor affecting MP community assembly by incubating common MP polymer types in situ in landfill soil for 14 months. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing indicated that MP polymers have specific impacts on plastisphere microbiomes, which are subsets of the soil microbiome. Chloroflexota, Gammaproteobacteria, certain Nitrososphaerota, and Nanoarchaeota explained differences among MP polymers and time points. Plastisphere microbial community composition derived from different MP diverged over time and was enriched in potential pathogens. PICRUSt predictions of pathway abundances and quantitative PCR of functional marker genes indicated that MP polymers exerted an ambivalent effect on genetic potentials of biogeochemical cycles. Overall, the data indicates that (i) polymer type as deterministic factor rather than stochastic factors drives plastisphere community assembly, (ii) MP impacts greenhouse gas metabolism, xenobiotic degradation and pathogen distribution, and (iii) MP serves as an ideal model system for studying fundamental questions in microbial ecology such as community assembly mechanisms in terrestrial environments.

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