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Worldwide, the production of plastics is increasing, and plastic pollution in aquatic environments is a major global concern. Under natural conditions, plastic weathers to smaller pieces called microplastics (MP), which come in various shapes, with fibers often being the most common in freshwater sediments. The hyporheic zone, an ecotone between surface and groundwater, is important for the transport and fate of all MP particles. The main metabolic pathways in rivers take place in the hyporheic zone and are driven by a diverse microbial community. The objective of this study was to investigate in situ whether the presence of PET fibers in riverbed sediments affects patterns of colonization and the seasonal dynamics of microbial metabolic activities in the hyporheic zone. The effects of the presence of PET on microbial metabolism were evaluated in situ over a month (colonization study) and over a year (seasonal …