Fungal communities differ with microplastic types in deep sea sediment enrichments of the Eastern Pacific

Abstract

In this study, we used three plastic powders (polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyurethane (PU)) to conduct micro-enrichments with deep-sea sediments from the Eastern Pacific. High-throughput sequencing of the ITS marker gene was performed during the enrichment process. The results showed that in comparison to culture time, plastic type significantly influenced the richness and diversity of the associated fungal community. The fungal community structures in PS and PET enrichments were similar, and there was no significant difference in fungal β diversity. Culture time, however, did not have any significant impact on the fungal community. On the other hand, based on FUNGuild analysis, we revealed that the fungal community compositions in PS and PET samples were highly similar, whereas PU enrichment was very different. The OTU network indicated more interactions between the different OTUs in the PU-enriched samples, demonstrating a highly complex interaction network. Fungal abundance, however, was not significantly affected by plastic type or culture time. In conclusion, compared to the original deep-sea sediments, addition of microplastics results in changes of the fungal community structure. Furthermore, different plastic types lead to different fungal communities, and compared with PS and PET, the enrichment effect of PU was stronger. Finally, rather than culture time, plastic type has a significant impact on fungal diversity and community composition.