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Biodegradable microplastics trigger agroecosystem trade-offs: Microbial-driven disruption of photosynthesis, carbon fixation, and nitrogen cycling
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Researchers used multi-omics analysis to compare biodegradable microplastics (PBAT, PBS, PLA) against conventional polyethylene in sandy soil over 64 days, finding that biodegradable variants caused greater harm — including 28–74% reductions in tomato photosynthesis, elevated CO2 emissions, and disrupted nitrogen cycling — challenging the assumption that biodegradability equals environmental safety.
Biodegradable microplastics (Bio-MPs) are increasingly adopted as sustainable alternatives, yet their ecological impacts in agroecosystems remain poorly understood. This study employs an integrated multi-omics approach to compare the effects of conventional conventional polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) and Bio-MPs (poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), and polylactic acid (PLA)) on soil-plant-microbe interactions in sandy soils over a 64-day experiment. Bio-MPs triggered severe vascular obstruction in tomato roots, reducing photosynthetic rates by 28–74 % compared to PE-MPs. Furthermore, Bio-MP pollution enhanced nitrogen transformation in soil, particularly PBS and PBAT Bio-MPs, which promoted denitrification-driven nitrogen transformation. Bio-MPs also appeared to impair microbial carbon sequestration, resulting in elevated CO 2 emissions. PBS-MPs specifically increased biological nitrogen fixation by 28–50 % and boosted Feammox-driven NH 4 + -N conversion by 51–59 %, replenishing soil nitrogen pools. Plants responded to Bio-MP-induced oxidative stress by reallocating metabolic resources toward antioxidant defenses, compromising secondary metabolite synthesis and causing dysregulation of sugar metabolism. Our findings reveal a critical trade-off: while Bio-MPs alleviate plastic pollution, they paradoxically disrupt carbon-nitrogen cycling. This challenges the assumption that "biodegradability" equates to environmental safety and underscores the need for polymer-specific risk assessments. Their microbial-mediated C-N trade-offs challenge the sustainability narrative, calling for a paradigm shift from material-centric to ecosystem-centric evaluations of biodegradable polymers. • Bio-MPs triggered greater agroecosystem trade-offs than conventional PE-MPs. • Bio-MPs reduced microbial carbon sequestration and tomato photosynthesis. • Bio-MPs impacted root development of tomato and induced tomato defense. • PBS-MPs increased bio-nitrogen fixation and soil NH₄⁺-N availability. • PBAT-MPs and PLA-MPs impaired the secondary metabolism of tomato roots.
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"Biodegradable" plastics are often marketed as eco-friendly alternatives to regular plastic, but new research shows their microscopic fragments can still harm plants: tomato plants grown in soil contaminated with these bio-microplastics grew worse and lost beneficial soil bacteria that normally help roots absorb nutrients and fight off stress. This matters because these same crops are part of our food supply, so if biodegradable plastics are quietly disrupting plant health and soil ecosystems, that's a warning sign that "biodegradable" doesn't automatically mean "harmless" for the food we eat.
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