the plastisphere in coastal salt marshes

Microplastics (MPs) introduce a unique ecological niche for microorganisms, termed the “plastisphere”. Coastal salt marshes are critical blue-carbon systems and MP sinks. However, the impacts of the plastisphere on major elemental cycling in coastal salt marshes remain poorly understood. To answer this important question, we conducted a 1-year field experiment in both the intertidal (Spartina alterniflora, SA) and supratidal (Phragmites australis, PA) zones of Yancheng salt marshes in China and investigated the dynamics using metagenomics.