Microplastic pollution threatens mangrove carbon sequestration capacity.

ABSTRACT: Microplastics are a pervasive environmental pollutant, altering microbial communities and disrupting global biogeochemical cycles. Mangrove forests, critical blue carbon habitats, are significant sinks for microplastic accumulation, yet they also cycle large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The effect of plastic pollution on methane dynamics in these vital habitats remains, however, poorly understood. Here we show that microplastic pollution in mangrove soils is linked to an increased potential for methane production by favouring methanogenic archaea. Through a nationwide survey of Chinese mangroves, we found that microplastic concentrations were higher (6516 ± 1725 particles kg^-1) in surface soils (0-20 cm) and exhibited stronger association with methane-cycling mic

SUBMITTER: He X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12274697 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature