Response of soil fungi to the interactive effects of microplastic fibers addition and drought. Interaction between microplastic and drought

Microplastics affect soil ecosystem functions depending on the soil water status. However, how the combined effect of microplastic and drought affect soil fungal communities and their linkages with ecosystem functions is still missing. To address this, we used rhizospheric soil from a previous experiment which was subjected to microfibers addition (absence, presence) and drought conditions (well-watered, drought) in a factorial design. Fungal richness, abundance, composition and structure at the functional, taxonomical and morphological level were assessed.