Response of sedimentary microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes to aged Micro(Nano)plastics exposure under high hydrostatic pressure

Several studies reported that the presence of microplastics (MPs)/nanoplastics (NPs) in marine environments can alter microbial community and function. Yet, the impact of aged MPs/NPs on deep sea sedimentary ecosystems under high hydrostatic pressure remains insufficiently explored. Herein, the sedimentary microbial community composition, co-occurrence network, assembly, and transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in response to aged MPs/NPs were investigated. Compared with the control, NPs addition significantly reduced bacterial alpha diversity (p < 0.05), whereas MPs showed no significant impact (p > 0.05). Moreover, networks under NPs exhibited decreased complexity than that under MPs and the control, including edges, average degree, and the number of keystone. The assembly of the microbial community was primarily governed by stochastic processes, and aged MPs/NPs increased the importance of stochastic processes. Moreover, exposure to MPs/NPs for one month decreased the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) (from 94.8 to 36.2 TPM), while exposure for four months increased the abundance (from 40.6 to 88.1 TPM), and the shift of ARGs in sediment was driven by both functional modules and microbial community. This study is crucial for understanding the stress imposed by aged MPs/NPs on sedimentary ecosystems under high hydrostatic pressure.