Data_Sheet_1_The Eukaryotic Life on Microplastics in Brackish Ecosystems.PDF

Microplastics (MP) constitute a widespread contaminant all over the globe. Rivers and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) transport annually several million tons of MP into freshwaters, estuaries and oceans, where they provide increasing artificial surfaces for microbial colonization. As knowledge on MP-attached communities is insufficient for brackish ecosystems, we conducted exposure experiments in the coastal Baltic Sea, an in-flowing river and a WWTP within the drainage basin. While reporting on prokaryotic and fungal communities from the same set-up previously, we focus here on the entire eukaryotic communities. Using high-throughput 18S rRNA gene sequencing, we analyzed the eukaryotes colonizing on two types of MP, polyethylene and polystyrene, and compared them to the ones in the surrounding water and on a natural surface (wood). More than 500 different taxa across almost all kingdoms of the eukaryotic tree of life were identified on MP, dominated by Alveolata, Metazoa, and Chloroplastida. The eukaryotic community composition on MP was significantly distinct from wood and the surrounding water, with overall lower diversity and the potentially harmful dinoflagellate Pfiesteria being enriched on MP. Co-occurrence networks, which include prokaryotic and eukaryotic taxa, hint at possibilities for dynamic microbial interactions on MP. This first report on total eukaryotic communities on MP in brackish environments highlights the complexity of MP-associated biofilms, potentially leading to altered microbial activities and hence changes in ecosystem functions.

微塑料（Microplastics, MP）是一种在全球范围内广泛分布的污染物。河流与污水处理厂（Wastewater Treatment Plants, WWTP）每年会将数百万吨的微塑料输送至淡水、河口与海洋中，为微生物定殖提供日益增多的人工表面。鉴于当前针对咸淡水生态系统中附着于微塑料的群落的研究尚显不足，本研究在波罗的海沿岸、一条入海河流以及流域内的一座污水处理厂开展了暴露实验。尽管此前我们已基于同一实验装置报道了原核生物与真菌群落的相关研究，本研究则聚焦于完整的真核生物群落。本研究采用高通量18S rRNA基因测序技术，对附着于两种微塑料（聚乙烯与聚苯乙烯）的真核生物进行了分析，并将其与周围水体以及天然表面（木材）上的真核生物进行了对比。在微塑料上共鉴定出超过500个不同的分类群，涵盖真核生物进化树中几乎所有的界，优势类群为囊泡虫总门（Alveolata）、后生动物界（Metazoa）与绿色植物总界（Chloroplastida）。微塑料上的真核生物群落组成与木材及周围水体存在显著差异，其整体多样性更低，且潜在有害的甲藻费氏藻属（Pfiesteria）在微塑料上富集。包含原核生物与真核生物分类群的共现网络提示，微塑料表面可能存在动态的微生物相互作用。本研究首次报道了咸淡水环境中微塑料表面的完整真核生物群落，揭示了微塑料相关生物膜的复杂性，这可能会改变微生物活性，进而影响生态系统功能。