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Evaluation of individual and combined effects of microplastics and naphthalene on aquatic sediment: Disturbance of carbon and microbial dynamics
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This study examined how biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics interact with naphthalene, a common pollutant, in aquatic sediments. When combined, the two pollutants significantly increased plant stress and reduced the ability of soil microbes to break down the naphthalene. The findings show that even biodegradable microplastics can worsen the effects of other pollutants in the environment, potentially affecting water quality and the food chain.
Microplastics (MPs) can absorb contaminants, enhancing their distribution and toxicity in the environment. While few data are available on the co-effect of MPs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on aquatic sediment. In this study, the effects of different contents (0.1 %, 1 %, and 5 %) of polylactic acid MPs (PLA MPs) on the distribution and comprehensive impact of a typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene (NPT), were investigated analyzing the characteristics of DOM, enzymatic responses of soil, antioxidant properties of plants, and changes of microbes. Results showed that the combined pollution of 5 % MPs and NPT reduced the aromaticity of DOM and significantly enhanced the humification process. Compared with single pollution, plant oxidative stress products were increased by 40.7-65.0 %, and antioxidant enzymes were increased by 73.3-95.8 %. The soil catalase that characterizing microbial activity was 33.9-44.1 % lower than that of single pollution. According to IBR-EAI model, the increase of MPs concentration enhanced the combined biological toxicity to plants and aquatic sediments. Combined pollution showed a toxic inhibitory effect on the microbial abundance of NPT degrading pollutants (Ideonella, Thauera and Clostridium, etc.), and functional genes that involved in glycolysis and TCA cycle (K00134, K00162, K00627, etc.) and NPT metabolic process (K00152, K14585, K14582, etc.). This study provides theoretical support for the joint risk of MPs and NPT in aquatic sediment environment.
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Ecological impacts of polylactic acid and polylactic acid-polyethylene microplastics on freshwater ecosystems: Insights from a water–Vallisneria natans–sediment system
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Researchers tested the effects of biodegradable PLA and PLA-polyethylene blend microplastics on a freshwater ecosystem containing aquatic plants and sediment. Both types of microplastics altered water chemistry, reduced plant growth, increased oxidative stress, and shifted the microbial communities in both water and sediment. The study demonstrates that even biodegradable plastic alternatives can disrupt freshwater ecosystems in meaningful ways.
Effects of polyethylene microplastics and heavy metals on soil-plant microbial dynamics
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This study examined how polyethylene microplastics interact with heavy metals in soil and found that microplastics significantly reduced plant growth while altering soil enzyme activity and microbial communities. The combination of microplastics and heavy metals disrupted nutrient cycling in the soil in ways that were different from either pollutant alone. These findings suggest that microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect crop nutrition and food production.
Coupling polyethylene microplastics with other pollutants: Exploring their combined effects on plant health and technologies for mitigating toxicity
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This review summarizes how polyethylene microplastics interact with other common soil pollutants like heavy metals and antibiotics in agricultural fields. Microplastics can absorb these pollutants and carry them into plants, making the combined exposure more harmful than either pollutant alone. The findings raise concerns about the safety of crops grown in microplastic-contaminated soil.
Oxidative stress and gene expression induced by biodegradable microplastics and imidacloprid in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) at environmentally relevant concentrations
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Researchers exposed earthworms to biodegradable microplastics made from polylactic acid (PLA), both alone and combined with a common pesticide. Both treatments caused oxidative stress and DNA damage, and the combined exposure was often more harmful than either pollutant alone. This study is important because it shows that even so-called biodegradable plastics can harm soil organisms and may interact with other agricultural chemicals to create greater environmental damage.
[Effects of Microplastic Pollution on Microbial Activity and Carbon Metabolism Function in Soil].
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A laboratory experiment found that both conventional polystyrene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics significantly disrupt soil microbial communities, reducing enzyme activities and cutting soil carbon metabolism by up to 82% at high concentrations. Notably, biodegradable PLA caused more harm than conventional PS, likely because PLA degrades into dissolved organic matter and smaller particles that are more toxic to soil microbes. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are environmentally safe and highlights risks to nutrient cycling in contaminated soils.
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