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Microplastic aging and plastisphere succession in mangrove sediments: Mechanisms, microbial interactions, and

Yuanyuan Su1, Jun Lei1, Xiaoping Diao2

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.

Journal of Hazardous Materials
|October 16, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) age faster and pose higher risks in mangroves than conventional microplastics (CMPs). Microbial communities and environmental factors jointly drive microplastic aging, with anaerobic conditions accelerating the process.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Microbiology
  • Polymer Science

Background:

  • Mangrove sediments present unique alternating aerobic-anaerobic conditions, creating hotspots for microplastic (MP) aging.
  • Understanding the aging process of both conventional MPs (CMPs) and biodegradable MPs (BMPs) is crucial for assessing their environmental fate.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the aging characteristics of CMPs (mPP, mPE) and BMPs (mPLA, mPBAT) under mangrove conditions.
  • To analyze the spatiotemporal succession of plastisphere communities and their role in MP aging.
  • To determine the key drivers (biotic and abiotic) influencing MP aging in mangrove ecosystems.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic investigation of MP aging over 1, 3, and 6 months in three mangrove regions.
  • Analysis of plastisphere community succession using microbial network analysis.
  • Application of Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) to identify factors controlling MP aging.

Main Results:

  • MP aging increased with plastisphere succession, with aging severity following mPLA > mPBAT > mPP > mPE.
  • BMPs showed higher risks of heavy metal leaching and secondary MP release compared to CMPs.
  • Geographic location was the primary driver of microbial community structure, followed by MP type and time.
  • Alternating aerobic-anaerobic conditions promoted positive microbial correlations, and anaerobic MP-degraders correlated more strongly with aging indicators.

Conclusions:

  • MP aging is significantly influenced by plastisphere succession and environmental conditions, particularly alternating aerobic-anaerobic cycles.
  • BMPs present elevated environmental risks due to accelerated aging, heavy metal leaching, and secondary MP release.
  • Biotic and abiotic factors jointly control MP aging, with microbial communities, especially anaerobic degraders, playing a critical role.
Keywords:
Aerobic and anaerobicMangrove sediments, Microplastic agingMicroorganism

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