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Assessing Microplastic Contamination Effects on Soil Microbial Communities in Agricultural Land
Summary
This study sampled agricultural soils with varying degrees of microplastic contamination to assess effects on microbial diversity, abundance, and enzymatic activity, finding that higher microplastic concentrations reduced microbial diversity and suppressed nutrient-cycling enzyme activity.
The microplastic pollution is reported with increasing frequency in the agricultural soils but its effect on the microbial populations in the soil is not well understood. This is a critical issue as the soil microorganisms are essential in the cycling of nutrients as well as soil fertility. This paper discusses the effects of microplastics on microbial diversity, abundance and enzymatic activity of soil. The sample of soil was taken in agricultural fields that had various degrees of exposure of microplastic. Microplastics were isolated with the help of density separation and microbial communities were examined with the help of 16S rRNA sequencing and enzyme assays. Evidence indicates that an increased level of microplastic decreases microbial biomass and changes the bacterial-fungal community structure. There were also major decreases of nitrogen related and carbon related enzyme activities. The paper presents a conclusion that microplastics are a quantifiable threat to the well-being of soil. This fact proves that there is need to establish better approaches in the waste-management in agriculture.
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