Global concern continues to mount regarding the accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in soil. However, little is known about how various types of MPs influence the properties of soil ecosystems. Here, we evaluated the effects of six different types of MPs, including low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), polyhydroxy-alkanoates (PHA), polybutadiene styrene (PBS), and polylactide (PLA), on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and microbial communities. At the end of a 230-day soil incubation, we observed significant changes in soil moisture content, soil organic carbon, pH, NH₄⁺-N, NO₃^--N, and available phosphorus. The addition of MPs had a significant influence on the activities of soil β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, urease, and fluorescein diacetate hydrolase, with effects varying with MP type. Results of 16S rRNA gene high throughput sequencing showed that MP exposure had little effect on soil microbial alpha diversity, but that PHA contamination significantly reduced ACE, Chao1, and Shannon index values. MP contamination also altered soil microbial community composition. In particular, the relative abundance of Firmicutes increased significantly while the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota, Proteobacteria (especially the nitrogen-fixing rhizobia), and Acidobacteriota decreased following exposure to PHA. Redundancy analysis showed that acid phosphatase and pH were the two main environmental factors affecting bacterial community structure at the phylum and order levels. Furthermore, Tax4Fun2 analysis found that MP treatment disrupted fundamental bacterial metabolic pathways. Our findings indicate that different types of MPs can affect soil fertility, bacterial community structure, and function in various ways, and highlight that biodegradable MPs may alter soil bacterial communities more than conventional MPs.

While the adverse impacts of microplastics (MPs) on soil ecosystems have been extensively documented, their combined effects with acid rain (AR) remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polylactic acid (PLA) on soil properties, enzyme activities, and bacterial communities in soils with different acid rain levels. The results showed that microplastics had negligible effects on soil pH but significantly altered available phosphorus content. Notably, 2 % PLA increased soil organic carbon and acid phosphatase activity, though AR did not further enhance acid phosphatase activity. In contrast, AR significantly stimulated β-D-glucosidase activity regardless of microplastic presence. Redundancy analysis identified available phosphorus and acid phosphatase as key drivers of microbial community structure. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that 2 % PLA reduced bacterial α-diversity and reshaped community composition, with these effects being exacerbated under low AR level conditions. At the phylum level, 2 % PLA increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria while decreasing that of Firmicutes. At the genus level, 2 % PLA enhanced the prevalence of Bradyrhizobium and Paraburkholderia but reduced that of Sinomonas. These findings bridge critical knowledge gaps regarding the risks of microplastics in acid rain-affected regions.

Here, we present the complete genome sequence of Kineothrix sp. MB12-C1 (= BCRC 81406), isolated from the feces of black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens ) larvae. The genome of strain MB12-C1 was chosen for further species classification and comparative genomic analysis.

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of Proteiniborus sp. MB09-C3 (= BCRC 81405), isolated from the feces of black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens ) larvae. The genome of strain MB09-C3 was selected for further species delineation and comparative genomic analysis.

To date, only a few microbial community studies of cold seeps at the South China Sea (SCS) have been reported. The cold seep dominated by tubeworms was discovered at South Yungan East Ridge (SYER) offshore southwestern Taiwan by miniROV. The tubeworms were identified and proposed as Paraescarpia formosa sp. nov. through morphological and phylogenetic analyses. The endosymbionts in the trunk of P. formosa analyzed by a 16S rRNA gene clone library represented only one phylotype, which belonged to the family Sedimenticolaceae in Gammaproteobacteria. In addition, the archaeal and bacterial communities in the habitat of tubeworm P. formosa were investigated by using high-phylogenetic-resolution full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The results showed that anerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME)-1b was most abundant and ANME-2ab was minor in a consortia of the anerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). The known sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) partners in AOM consortia, such as SEEP-SRB1, -SRB2, and -SRB4, Desulfococcus and Desulfobulbus, occurred in a small population (0–5.7%) at the SYER cold seep, and it was suggested that ANME-1b and ANME-2ab might be coupled with multiple SRB in AOM consortia. Besides AOM consortia, various methanogenic archaea, including Bathyarchaeota (Subgroup-8), Methanocellales, Methanomicrobiales, Methanosarcinales, Methanofastidiosales and Methanomassiliicoccales, were identified, and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria Sulfurovum and Sulfurimonas in phylum Epsilonbacteraeota were dominant. This study revealed the first investigation of microbiota in and around tubeworm P. formosa discovered at the SYER cold seep offshore southwestern Taiwan. We could gain insights into the chemosynthetic communities in the deep sea, especially regarding the cold seep ecosystems at the SCS.

The genus Calyptothecium, currently comprising ca. 30 species worldwide, is the largest genus within the family Pterobryaceae. However, a comprehensive taxonomic revision of this genus is lacking. Calyptothecium philippinense Broth. 1899, a moss species widely found in the tropical regions of Asia, is characterized by the unique rugose leaves and large auriculate leaf bases. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome (CPG) of C. philippinense using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. The length of the CPG of C. philippinense was determined to be 124,513 bp, with an AT content of 74%. The CPG of C. philippinense exhibited a standard quadripartite structure, consisting of one small single-copy (SSC) region (18,541 bp), one large single-copy region (LSC) (87,222 bp), and two inverted repeat (IR) regions (9375 bp each). A total of 126 genes from the CPG of C. philippinense were annotated, including 82 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 36 transfer RNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on the CPGs of 25 bryophyte taxa revealed that the three Pterobryaceae species C. philippinense, Calyptothecium hookeri (Mitt.) Broth. and Pterobryopsis orientalis (Mull. Hal.) M. Fleisch. formed a robust clade. The findings could facilitate more accurate classification and help elucidate evolutionary relationships within Calyptothecium.