{"title":"Exploiting the gut microbiota of aquatic animals as indicators of microplastic pollution using interpretable machine learning models","authors":"Zhaoji Shi, Rui Guo, Fucheng Yao, Ziqiang Liu, Jiaen Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139178","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The response of aquatic animal gut microbiota to microplastics has been extensively studied and shows sensitivity, however, the potential of using gut microbiota as indicators for microplastic pollution has not yet been fully explored. To address this gap, we analyzed publicly available sequencing data of gut microbiota from 17 aquatic species (634 samples), including both microplastic-exposed and unexposed groups. Using interpretable machine learning models, we demonstrated that microplastics significantly altered the composition and functional profiles of gut microbiota in both freshwater and saltwater animals, reducing functional redundancy. Random forest models based on genus-level taxonomy effectively indicated microplastic pollution, achieving AUC values above 0.8. Through Shapley Additive Explanation (SHAP) value analysis, we identified 20 freshwater and 25 saltwater gut microbial indicators of microplastic pollution, with <em>Aurantimicrobium</em> and <em>Salipiger_489036</em> emerging as the most important indicators for freshwater and saltwater environments, respectively. Notably, the importance of these indicators varied depending on the host species and pollution context. For example, <em>Aurantimicrobium</em> exhibited greater importance under conditions of prolonged exposure and higher microplastics concentrations, whereas <em>Salipiger_489036</em> was more prominent in scenarios involving larger microplastic sizes. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of gut microbiota as a novel tool for assessing microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.","PeriodicalId":361,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Hazardous Materials","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139178","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The response of aquatic animal gut microbiota to microplastics has been extensively studied and shows sensitivity, however, the potential of using gut microbiota as indicators for microplastic pollution has not yet been fully explored. To address this gap, we analyzed publicly available sequencing data of gut microbiota from 17 aquatic species (634 samples), including both microplastic-exposed and unexposed groups. Using interpretable machine learning models, we demonstrated that microplastics significantly altered the composition and functional profiles of gut microbiota in both freshwater and saltwater animals, reducing functional redundancy. Random forest models based on genus-level taxonomy effectively indicated microplastic pollution, achieving AUC values above 0.8. Through Shapley Additive Explanation (SHAP) value analysis, we identified 20 freshwater and 25 saltwater gut microbial indicators of microplastic pollution, with Aurantimicrobium and Salipiger_489036 emerging as the most important indicators for freshwater and saltwater environments, respectively. Notably, the importance of these indicators varied depending on the host species and pollution context. For example, Aurantimicrobium exhibited greater importance under conditions of prolonged exposure and higher microplastics concentrations, whereas Salipiger_489036 was more prominent in scenarios involving larger microplastic sizes. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of gut microbiota as a novel tool for assessing microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Hazardous Materials serves as a global platform for promoting cutting-edge research in the field of Environmental Science and Engineering. Our publication features a wide range of articles, including full-length research papers, review articles, and perspectives, with the aim of enhancing our understanding of the dangers and risks associated with various materials concerning public health and the environment. It is important to note that the term "environmental contaminants" refers specifically to substances that pose hazardous effects through contamination, while excluding those that do not have such impacts on the environment or human health. Moreover, we emphasize the distinction between wastes and hazardous materials in order to provide further clarity on the scope of the journal. We have a keen interest in exploring specific compounds and microbial agents that have adverse effects on the environment.