Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous Tree
Microplastics enter forest ecosystems in a variety of ways, including through atmospheric deposition, anthropogenic waste, and leaching. There is growing evidence of the ecotoxicity of microplastics to soil decomposers. Soil animals and microorganisms are the main decomposers of plant litter, and th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/15/3/488 |
| _version_ | 1797240954524008448 |
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| author | Xin Wang Rumeng Ye Bai-Lian Li Kai Tian |
| author_facet | Xin Wang Rumeng Ye Bai-Lian Li Kai Tian |
| author_sort | Xin Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microplastics enter forest ecosystems in a variety of ways, including through atmospheric deposition, anthropogenic waste, and leaching. There is growing evidence of the ecotoxicity of microplastics to soil decomposers. Soil animals and microorganisms are the main decomposers of plant litter, and their interactions play important roles in determining the terrestrial biochemical cycle. However, how emerging microplastics in forests affect the influence of soil animals on the fungal community in decomposed litter is still unclear. Here, by constructing a rigorous mesocosm experiment, we investigated soil enzyme activities and the variation in fungal community characteristics in the leaf litter of a deciduous tree, <i>Lindera glauca</i>, which was decomposed by contrasting decomposer structures (with or without soil animals) under different contamination conditions (with or without microplastic contamination), aiming to determine the impacts of these factors on litter decomposition. We found that soil animals can significantly depress the litter decomposition rate by reducing fungal diversity and largely changing the community structure in the litter. However, these critical changes caused by soil animals were inhibited in the mesocosms contaminated with high-density polyethylene microplastics (HDPE−MPs), during which soil animal activities were significantly reduced. These findings represent a step forward in illustrating the potential effect of emerging contamination stress on forest litter decomposition and biogeochemical cycles under global environmental change. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:15:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4ed43937f2bf483197ee578b9fd771fe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:15:38Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-4ed43937f2bf483197ee578b9fd771fe2024-03-27T13:41:44ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072024-03-0115348810.3390/f15030488Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous TreeXin Wang0Rumeng Ye1Bai-Lian Li2Kai Tian3Henan Field Observation and Research Station of Headwork Wetland Ecosystem of the Central Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project, School of Life Sciences and Agricultural Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, ChinaHenan Field Observation and Research Station of Headwork Wetland Ecosystem of the Central Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project, School of Life Sciences and Agricultural Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, ChinaDepartment of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USAHenan Field Observation and Research Station of Headwork Wetland Ecosystem of the Central Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project, School of Life Sciences and Agricultural Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, ChinaMicroplastics enter forest ecosystems in a variety of ways, including through atmospheric deposition, anthropogenic waste, and leaching. There is growing evidence of the ecotoxicity of microplastics to soil decomposers. Soil animals and microorganisms are the main decomposers of plant litter, and their interactions play important roles in determining the terrestrial biochemical cycle. However, how emerging microplastics in forests affect the influence of soil animals on the fungal community in decomposed litter is still unclear. Here, by constructing a rigorous mesocosm experiment, we investigated soil enzyme activities and the variation in fungal community characteristics in the leaf litter of a deciduous tree, <i>Lindera glauca</i>, which was decomposed by contrasting decomposer structures (with or without soil animals) under different contamination conditions (with or without microplastic contamination), aiming to determine the impacts of these factors on litter decomposition. We found that soil animals can significantly depress the litter decomposition rate by reducing fungal diversity and largely changing the community structure in the litter. However, these critical changes caused by soil animals were inhibited in the mesocosms contaminated with high-density polyethylene microplastics (HDPE−MPs), during which soil animal activities were significantly reduced. These findings represent a step forward in illustrating the potential effect of emerging contamination stress on forest litter decomposition and biogeochemical cycles under global environmental change.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/15/3/488litter decaymicrobial communitysoil decomposerbiogeochemical cycleemerging contaminants |
| spellingShingle | Xin Wang Rumeng Ye Bai-Lian Li Kai Tian Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous Tree Forests litter decay microbial community soil decomposer biogeochemical cycle emerging contaminants |
| title | Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous Tree |
| title_full | Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous Tree |
| title_fullStr | Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous Tree |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous Tree |
| title_short | Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous Tree |
| title_sort | emerging microplastics alter the influences of soil animals on the fungal community structure in determining the litter decomposition of a deciduous tree |
| topic | litter decay microbial community soil decomposer biogeochemical cycle emerging contaminants |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/15/3/488 |
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