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

ABSTRACT: 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 mode

SUBMITTER: Li HQ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12328625 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature