Impact of microplastics on substrate and root-associated microbial communities assessed by 16S rRNA and ITS1 amplicon sequencing
This project investigates the effects of microplastic contamination on substrate and root-associated microbial communities over time. Samples include original substrate, substrate at 1 month, and substrate at 2 months under control, low, and high microplastic treatments. Root samples were collected at 1 and 2 months under the same treatment conditions. Microbial community composition was characterized using 16S rRNA gene (bacterial) and ITS1 (fungal) amplicon sequencing. The objective is to assess temporal and treatment-driven shifts in bacterial and fungal diversity associated with microplastic exposure.