School of Marine Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
School of Marine Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; The International Joint Institute of Tianjin University, Fuzhou 350207, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Aug 20;887:164026. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164026. Epub 2023 May 10.
As vectors for microorganisms and genetic elements, vast amounts of solid wastes, including plastics and non-plastics, enter oceans through estuaries globally. The heterogeneity of microbiomes developed on different types of plastic and non-plastic matrices and their potential environmental risks in field estuarine regions have not been fully explored. Here, microbial communities, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), virulence factors (VFs), and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) on substrate debris (SD) covering non-biodegradable plastics, biodegradable plastics, and non-plastics were first comprehensively characterized based on metagenomic analyzes (substrate identity). These selected substrates were field-exposed at both ends of the Haihe Estuary, China (geographic location). For substrate identity: conspicuously diverse functional gene profiles on different substrates were obtained; the relative gene copies of ARGs, VFs, and MGEs on non-biodegradable plastics were highest at both locations; non-biodegradable plastic matrices recruited the most abundant unique ARGs from ambient waters; the relative abundance of potential bacterial hosts carrying multiple ARGs and VFs (BH-AV) was much higher on non-biodegradable plastic surfaces than on the other two substrates, especially in the coastal water environment. For geographic locations: more abundant specific ARGs, VFs, and MGEs were significantly enriched on SD from the upper estuary; the average relative abundance of identified BH-AV on SD from the upper estuary was 1.99-7.14 folds from the lower estuary. Finally, the results of the Projection Pursuit Regression model verified the higher comprehensive potential risks arising from non-biodegradable plastics (substrate identity) and SD from the upstream of the estuary (geographic location). Based on comparative analysis, our results alert us to pay particular attention to ecological risks triggered by conventional non-biodegradable plastics in rivers and coastal environments and highlight the microbiological risk from terrestrial solid waste to the downstream marine environment.
作为微生物和遗传因子的载体,大量的固体废物,包括塑料和非塑料,通过全球的河口进入海洋。在不同类型的塑料和非塑料基质上形成的微生物组的异质性及其在野外河口地区的潜在环境风险尚未得到充分探索。在这里,根据宏基因组分析(基质身份),首次全面描述了覆盖不可生物降解塑料、可生物降解塑料和非塑料的基质碎片(SD)上的微生物群落、抗生素抗性基因(ARGs)、毒力因子(VF)和移动遗传因子(MGEs)。这些选定的基质在中国海河河口的两端进行了野外暴露(地理位置)。对于基质身份:从不同基质上获得了明显不同的功能基因谱;在两个地点,不可生物降解塑料上的 ARG、VF 和 MGE 的相对基因拷贝数最高;不可生物降解塑料基质从周围水中招募了最多的独特 ARG;携带多个 ARG 和 VF(BH-AV)的潜在细菌宿主的相对丰度在不可生物降解塑料表面上比在其他两种基质上高得多,尤其是在沿海水环境中。对于地理位置:在上游河口的 SD 上,更多丰富的特定 ARG、VF 和 MGE 明显富集;在上游河口的 SD 上,识别出的 BH-AV 的平均相对丰度比下游河口高出 1.99-7.14 倍。最后,投影追踪回归模型的结果验证了不可降解塑料(基质身份)和河口上游的 SD(地理位置)带来的更高综合潜在风险。基于比较分析,我们的结果提醒我们特别注意河流和沿海环境中传统不可生物降解塑料引发的生态风险,并强调了陆地固体废物对下游海洋环境的微生物风险。