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Microplastic impacts archaeal abundance, microbial communities, and their network connectivity in a Sub-Saharan soil environment

Summary

This study examined how plastic waste that has broken down into tiny microplastics affects soil microorganisms in Kenya. Researchers found that microplastics reduce the number and diversity of helpful archaea (ancient microorganisms important for nitrogen cycling) and disrupt how different microbes interact with each other in soil. While microplastics carried slightly more potentially harmful bacteria, they were much better at spreading dangerous fungi, suggesting plastic waste poses a significant threat to soil health in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background

Microplastic (MP) pollution is ubiquitous in Sub-Saharan Africa due to unmanaged plastic waste, yet research on its impacts on soil microbiomes in this region is scarce. While plastic surfaces are colonized by microorganisms forming plastispheres, the effects on archaeal communities and microbial network connectivity remain poorly understood in terrestrial Sub-Saharan ecosystems.

Objective

To characterize the prokaryotic microbiome composition and community assembly mechanisms in plastispheres compared to bulk soil from a Sub-Saharan environment, with focus on archaeal abundance, pathogenic potential, and network connectivity.

Results

Plastisphere communities showed significantly lower alpha-diversity and distinct composition with enrichment of Pseudomonadota and depletion of Actinomycetota compared to soil. Archaeal Nitrososphaeraceae abundance was severely depleted in plastisphere (0.5-1%) versus soil (3%). Network analysis revealed reduced connectivity and complexity in plastisphere communities, with loss of archaeal nodes and disrupted cooccurrence patterns.

Conclusion

Microplastics negatively impact archaeal abundance and microbial network stability in Sub-Saharan soils, potentially impairing nitrification capacity and community resilience. While pathogenic bacterial potential was marginally increased, the stronger effect was observed for fungal pathogens, suggesting MP acts as a vector for fungal rather than bacterial pathogens.
  • Published in:FEMS Microbiology Ecology,
  • Study Type:Observational field study,
  • Source: PMID: 40891913, DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaf085
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