Microplastics and co-pollutant with ciprofloxacin affect interactions between free-floating macrophytes

Microplastic and antibiotic contamination are considered an increasing environmental problem in aquatic systems, while little is known about the impact of microplastics and co-pollutant with antibiotics on freshwater vascular plants, particularly the effects of interactions between macrophytes. Here, we performed a mesocosm experiment to evaluate the impact of polyethylene-microplastics and their co-pollutants with ciprofloxacin on the growth and physiological characteristics of Spirodela polyrhiza and Lemna minor and the interactions between these two macrophytes. Our results showed that microplastics alone cannot significantly influence fresh weight and specific leaf area of the two test free-floating macrophytes, but the effects on photosynthetic pigments, malondialdehyde, catalase and soluble sugar contents were species-specific. Ciprofloxacin can significant adverse effects on the growth and physiological traits of the two test macrophytes and microplastic mitigated the toxicity of ciprofloxacin on the two free-floating plants to a certain extent. In addition, our studies showed that microplastics and co-pollutants can influence relative yield and competitiveness of S. polyrhiza and L. minor by directly or indirectly influencing their physiology and growth. Therefore our findings suggest that species-specific sensibility to microplastic and its co-pollutant among free-floating macrophytes may influence macrophyte population dynamics and thereby community structure and ecosystem functioning. And microplastics altered other contaminant behaviours and toxicity, and may directly or indirectly influence macrophytes interactions and community structure. The present study is the first experimental study exploring the effects of microplastics alone and with their co-pollutants on interactions between free-floating macrophytes, which can provide basic theoretical guidance for improving the stability of freshwater ecosystems.

Automated summary

Microplastic and antibiotic contamination pose a growing environmental problem in aquatic systems, particularly regarding their impact on freshwater vascular plants. This study investigated the effects of polyethylene microplastics and their co-pollutants with ciprofloxacin on the growth and physiological characteristics of Spirodela polyrhiza and Lemna minor, and their interactions. Results showed that microplastics had species-specific effects on photosynthetic pigments, malondialdehyde, catalase, and soluble sugar contents, while ciprofloxacin significantly affected the growth and physiological traits of the test macrophytes. Microplastics also influenced the relative yield and competitiveness of the two macrophytes, potentially affecting macrophyte population dynamics, community structure, and ecosystem functioning.