State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Key Laboratory of Ecological and Environmental Monitoring, Forewarning and Quality Control of Zhejiang, Zhejiang Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, Hangzhou 310012, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2024 Jan 15;462:132789. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132789. Epub 2023 Oct 15.
Phyllosphere is the largest interface between the atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems and serves as a major sink for atmospheric microplastics (MPs). It is also a unique habitat for microbiota with diverse ecological functions. This field study investigated the characteristics of atmospheric MPs adsorbed on leaves with automatic technology, and found their abundance was 3.62 ± 1.29 items cm. MPs on leaves were mainly below 80 µm, and dominated by polyamide, polyethene, and rubber. MPs on leaves correlated significantly with the structure and functions of the phyllosphere bacterial community (PBC). Both the MPs abundance and size distribution (MSD) were positively correlated with the α diversity and negatively correlated with the β diversity and network complexity of PBC. PBC functions of environmental and genetic information process were negatively correlated with MPs abundance, and functions related to human diseases and cellular process were positively correlated with MSD significantly. The relative abundance of Sphingomonas was significantly correlated with the MSD, suggesting that Sphingomonas might emerge as the key genus involved in the pathogenicity of PBC mediated by MPs. These results highlighted the ecological health risks of atmospheric MPs as they can be transferred anywhere and potentially increase the pathogenicity of local phyllosphere microflora.
叶片是大气和陆地生态系统之间最大的界面，也是大气中微塑料（MPs）的主要汇。它也是具有多种生态功能的微生物群落的独特栖息地。本田间研究采用自动技术研究了吸附在叶片上的大气 MPs 的特征，发现其丰度为 3.62 ± 1.29 个 cm。叶片上的 MPs 主要小于 80 µm，主要由聚酰胺、聚乙烯和橡胶组成。叶片上的 MPs 与叶片细菌群落（PBC）的结构和功能显著相关。 MPs 的丰度和大小分布（MSD）与 PBC 的 α 多样性呈正相关，与 β 多样性和网络复杂性呈负相关。与环境和遗传信息处理相关的 PBC 功能与 MPs 丰度呈负相关，而与人类疾病和细胞过程相关的功能与 MSD 呈显著正相关。鞘氨醇单胞菌的相对丰度与 MSD 显著相关，表明鞘氨醇单胞菌可能成为与 MPs 介导的 PBC 致病性相关的关键属。这些结果强调了大气 MPs 的生态健康风险，因为它们可以转移到任何地方，并可能增加当地叶片微生物区系的致病性。
