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Mechanisms of Microplastic Effects on Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems
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This review pulls together existing research on how microplastics—especially "eco-friendly" biodegradable ones—disrupt soil and water ecosystems by messing with carbon and nitrogen cycles, which affects plant growth, soil health, and even greenhouse gas emissions. The surprising twist: biodegradable plastics, often marketed as the safer choice, may actually disturb these natural cycles more than regular plastics do. Since these cycles underpin the food we grow and the environment we depend on, this matters for anyone who assumes "biodegradable" automatically means "harmless"—though the studies so far are mostly short-
An emerging environmental pollutant, microplastics have garnered global attention due to their widespread presence in soil and aquatic ecosystems. Early research primarily treated microplastics as single pollutants, focusing on their individual toxic effects. However, microplastics in the environment exist as a complex mixture, comprising various polymer types, sizes, shapes, and aging states. This diversity influences how microplastics regulate ecosystem carbon and nitrogen cycles and intervene through pathways such as direct carbon input, physical disturbance, microbial community restructuring, and coupled effects. This paper systematically reviews the characteristics of microplastic diversity and its mechanisms influencing carbon and nitrogen cycles: the chemical structure of polymers determines bioavailability and degradation rate, with biodegradable plastics altering carbon and nitrogen transformations more significantly than conventional plastics; microplastics of different sizes affect nitrogen transformation dynamics by modulating specific surface area and microbial colonization, with small-sized biodegradable microplastics particularly inhibiting plant nitrogen uptake; aging modifies surface properties and dissolved organic carbon release, thereby enhancing their role in promoting greenhouse gas emissions. Existing studies are largely confined to short-term laboratory simulations, leaving a gap in understanding the comprehensive effects of microplastic diversity under long-term, field conditions. Future research should focus on standardized methods and long-term experiments with multi-factor coupling to provide a scientific basis for ecological risk assessment of microplastic pollution.
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This study compared how conventional and biodegradable microplastics affect soil microbes over long time periods and found that both types significantly changed soil microbial communities and disrupted carbon and nitrogen cycling after extended exposure. Biodegradable plastics, often marketed as eco-friendly, actually released more chemical byproducts than conventional plastics, which matters because these soil changes can affect the food we grow.
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This review examines how microplastics in soil affect the cycling of carbon and nitrogen, two elements essential for plant growth and soil health. Microplastics alter soil microbial communities and enzyme activity in ways that change greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient availability, which could ultimately affect crop production and the food supply.
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