Terrestrial plastisphere as unique niches for fungal communities

Abstract

Global prevalence of microplastics underscores the urgent need to investigate the ecology and biogeochemistry of the plastisphere. However, plastisphere mycobiome, particularly in terrestrial environments, remains largely unexplored. We conducted a comparative analysis of soil and plastisphere fungal communities using 125 experimental microcosms. Our results revealed distinct taxonomic structures between these two environments, with the genera Penicillium and pathogenic Alternaria being specifically enriched in the plastisphere. In comparison with soil communities, plastisphere communities exhibited weaker associations with environmental variables. Stochastic processes were found to be primary drivers of plastisphere fungal community assembly. Limited dispersal of fungal communities on soil microplastics was obtained, suggesting potential implications for taxa isolation or even diversity loss. The expanding plastisphere would pose critical planetary ecology challenges. Our findings highlight plastisphere act as unique niches for fungal communities that are less influenced by environmental variables, providing new insights into the ecology of the soil plastisphere.