Electroactive Microbes-Driven Transformation of Heavy Metals and Organic Contaminants in Coastal Environments

Coastal environmental science focuses on dynamic terrestrial-marine transitional habitats, including estuaries, intertidal flats and coastal sediments. These complex ecosystems are under growing threat from heavy metals and organic contaminants, covering both traditional and emerging pollutants. Anthropogenic activities, such as industrial effluent discharge, agricultural runoff, maritime transport and aquaculture, drive persistent contamination, with pollutants accumulating in coastal matrices and endangering ecological stability and public health. Recent progress has emphasized the vital role of electroactive microorganisms (EAMs), which are characterized by extracellular electron transfer (EET) capability, in promoting redox-driven transformation, immobilization and mineralization of these contaminants. Nevertheless, although EAMs have been extensively studied for bioremediation potential in freshwater and terrestrial soils, their ecological functions and adaptive mechanisms in coastal environments with high salinity, tidal fluctuations and complex geochemical properties remain largely underexplored.Emerging studies reveal that coastal EAMs have evolved unique adaptive traits, enabling them to survive in fluctuating saline and geochemical conditions where conventional microbial processes are ineffective. Halotolerant, filamentous and autotrophic EAMs exhibit exceptional versatility in mediating the transformation of heavy metals and organic pollutants, with ongoing research uncovering their distinct EET mechanisms and metabolic strategies in these harsh and dynamic coastal zones. Despite these advances, critical knowledge gaps still exist: the diversity and community structure of coastal EAMs are not fully clarified, and the exact molecular pathways by which EAMs regulate pollutant migration and redox transformation across spatiotemporal gradients in coastal habitats remain unclear. Moreover, the development and optimization of EAM-based bioremediation strategies customized for coastal environments require further research to support sustainable coastal pollution management.This Research Topic aims to address these gaps by collecting cutting-edge studies to clarify the diversity, ecological characteristics and functional mechanisms of EAMs in coastal environments. It will focus on revealing EAM-mediated processes and pathways governing the migration and transformation of typical pollutants, adaptive physiological responses of EAMs to extreme coastal conditions, and the innovation of EAM-driven bioremediation technologies. Through systematic integration, this Research Topic seeks to advance theoretical foundations and technical solutions for coastal pollution control and the long-term conservation of coastal ecosystem health.To deepen insights into EAM-mediated pollutant transformation in coastal systems, we invite submissions of empirical and conceptual articles covering the following themes:1. Diversity, community structure and spatial distribution of EAMs in coastal environments.2. Redox reactions and molecular mechanisms of EET-based pollutant transformation in coastal environments.3. Adaptive metabolic strategies and stress responses of EAMs to saline, tidal and heterogeneous geochemical conditions.4. Development, optimization and scaling-up of EAM-based bioremediation technologies for coastal pollution control. Topic editors: Haikun Zhang, Hong Lu, Nadia A. Samak Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80291/electroactive-microbes-driven-transformation-of-heavy-metals-and-organic-contaminants-in-coastal-environments