Metabolomic interpretation of bacterial and fungal contribution to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances interface migration in waterlogged paddy fields

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely distributed in paddy soils, and their multi-phase partitioning in soil fractions was proved to be strongly interact with soil microbial community composition and functions. Despite this, soil bacterial and fungal metabolic molecular effects on PFAS water-soil interface migration in waterlogged paddy fields still remain unclear. This study integrated soil untargeted metabolomics with microbial amplicon sequencing to elucidate soil metabolic modulations of 15 PFAS interface release. Inhibition of bacterial and fungal metabolic activity both significantly altered PFAS cross-media translocation (p < 0.05). Gemmatimonadota, Desulfobacterota, Acidobacteriota, Actinobacteriota, and Bacteroidota were vital bacterial taxa affecting PFAS transport, while Basidiobolomycota and Chytridiomycota were vital fungal taxa. Fungi regulated PFAS migration more (R² = 0.379–0.526) than bacteria (R² = 0.021–0.030) due to the higher metabolic stability of stochastic-dominated fungi than deterministic-dominated bacteria. At the water-soil interface, the amino acid-like dissolved organic matter (Tyrosine and Tryptophan) contributed most (48.5–58.6 %) to the PFAS multiphase distribution. Untargeted metabolomics further clarified that fungal amino acid-like metabolites, including Phosphoenolpyruvate and Methionine, were key triggers stimulating Tyrosine and Tryptophan biosynthesis (p < 0.001), which were vital in modulating PFAS interface translocation (p < 0.001). These results provide novel insights into soil microbial metabolites’ participation in PFAS water-soil interface migration, benefiting PFAS pollution control and agricultural security risk assessment in waterlogged paddy ecosystems.