Unraveling the Impact of Microplastic–Tetracycline Composite Pollution on the Moon Jellyfish <i>Aurelia aurita</i>: Insights from Its Microbiome
Microplastics have emerged as a pervasive marine contaminant, with extreme concentrations reported in deep-sea sediments (e.g., 1.9 million particles/m<sup>2</sup>) and localized accumulations near Antarctic research stations. Particular concern has been raised regarding their synergisti...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| author | Xuandong Wu Hongze Liao Xiaoyong Zhang Zhenhua Ma Zhilu Fu |
| author_facet | Xuandong Wu Hongze Liao Xiaoyong Zhang Zhenhua Ma Zhilu Fu |
| author_sort | Xuandong Wu |
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| description | Microplastics have emerged as a pervasive marine contaminant, with extreme concentrations reported in deep-sea sediments (e.g., 1.9 million particles/m<sup>2</sup>) and localized accumulations near Antarctic research stations. Particular concern has been raised regarding their synergistic effects with co-occurring antibiotics, which may potentiate toxicity and facilitate antibiotic resistance gene dissemination through microbial colonization of plastic surfaces. To investigate these interactions, a 185-day controlled exposure experiment was conducted using <i>Aurelia aurita</i> polyps. Factorial combinations of microplastics (0, 0.1, 1 mg/L) and tetracycline (0, 0.5, 5 mg/L) were employed to simulate environmentally relevant pollution scenarios. Microbiome alterations were characterized using metagenomic approaches. Analysis revealed that while alpha and beta diversity measures remained unaffected at environmental concentrations, significant shifts occurred in the relative abundance of dominant bacterial taxa, including <i>Pseudomonadota</i>, <i>Actinomycetota</i>, and <i>Mycoplasmatota</i>. Metabolic pathway analysis demonstrated perturbations in key functional categories including cellular processes and environmental signal transduction. Furthermore, microplastic exposure was associated with modifications in polyp life-stage characteristics, suggesting potential implications for benthic–pelagic population dynamics. These findings provide evidence for the impacts of microplastic–antibiotic interactions on cnidarian holobionts, with ramifications for predicting jellyfish population responses in contaminated ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e029d91791a6481b8f3f854aee3378a0 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-e029d91791a6481b8f3f854aee3378a02025-08-20T03:13:55ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-04-0113488210.3390/microorganisms13040882Unraveling the Impact of Microplastic–Tetracycline Composite Pollution on the Moon Jellyfish <i>Aurelia aurita</i>: Insights from Its MicrobiomeXuandong Wu0Hongze Liao1Xiaoyong Zhang2Zhenhua Ma3Zhilu Fu4Guangxi Key Laboratory for Polysaccharide Materials and Modifications, Guangxi Minzu University, Nanning 530008, ChinaGuangxi Key Laboratory for Polysaccharide Materials and Modifications, Guangxi Minzu University, Nanning 530008, ChinaUniversity Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, ChinaKey Laboratory of Efffcient Utilization and Processing of Marine Fishery Resources of Hainan Province, Sanya Tropical Fisheries Research Institute, Sanya 572018, ChinaGuangxi Key Laboratory for Polysaccharide Materials and Modifications, Guangxi Minzu University, Nanning 530008, ChinaMicroplastics have emerged as a pervasive marine contaminant, with extreme concentrations reported in deep-sea sediments (e.g., 1.9 million particles/m<sup>2</sup>) and localized accumulations near Antarctic research stations. Particular concern has been raised regarding their synergistic effects with co-occurring antibiotics, which may potentiate toxicity and facilitate antibiotic resistance gene dissemination through microbial colonization of plastic surfaces. To investigate these interactions, a 185-day controlled exposure experiment was conducted using <i>Aurelia aurita</i> polyps. Factorial combinations of microplastics (0, 0.1, 1 mg/L) and tetracycline (0, 0.5, 5 mg/L) were employed to simulate environmentally relevant pollution scenarios. Microbiome alterations were characterized using metagenomic approaches. Analysis revealed that while alpha and beta diversity measures remained unaffected at environmental concentrations, significant shifts occurred in the relative abundance of dominant bacterial taxa, including <i>Pseudomonadota</i>, <i>Actinomycetota</i>, and <i>Mycoplasmatota</i>. Metabolic pathway analysis demonstrated perturbations in key functional categories including cellular processes and environmental signal transduction. Furthermore, microplastic exposure was associated with modifications in polyp life-stage characteristics, suggesting potential implications for benthic–pelagic population dynamics. These findings provide evidence for the impacts of microplastic–antibiotic interactions on cnidarian holobionts, with ramifications for predicting jellyfish population responses in contaminated ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/4/882<i>Aurelia aurita</i>polypmicroplasticstetracyclinemicrobiome |
| spellingShingle | Xuandong Wu Hongze Liao Xiaoyong Zhang Zhenhua Ma Zhilu Fu Unraveling the Impact of Microplastic–Tetracycline Composite Pollution on the Moon Jellyfish <i>Aurelia aurita</i>: Insights from Its Microbiome Microorganisms <i>Aurelia aurita</i> polyp microplastics tetracycline microbiome |
| title | Unraveling the Impact of Microplastic–Tetracycline Composite Pollution on the Moon Jellyfish <i>Aurelia aurita</i>: Insights from Its Microbiome |
| title_full | Unraveling the Impact of Microplastic–Tetracycline Composite Pollution on the Moon Jellyfish <i>Aurelia aurita</i>: Insights from Its Microbiome |
| title_fullStr | Unraveling the Impact of Microplastic–Tetracycline Composite Pollution on the Moon Jellyfish <i>Aurelia aurita</i>: Insights from Its Microbiome |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unraveling the Impact of Microplastic–Tetracycline Composite Pollution on the Moon Jellyfish <i>Aurelia aurita</i>: Insights from Its Microbiome |
| title_short | Unraveling the Impact of Microplastic–Tetracycline Composite Pollution on the Moon Jellyfish <i>Aurelia aurita</i>: Insights from Its Microbiome |
| title_sort | unraveling the impact of microplastic tetracycline composite pollution on the moon jellyfish i aurelia aurita i insights from its microbiome |
| topic | <i>Aurelia aurita</i> polyp microplastics tetracycline microbiome |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/4/882 |
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