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Invasion of Microplastic-Derived DOM Disturbs Soil–Microbe–Plant System through Component-Driven Effects
Original title: Invasion of Microplastic-DerivedDOM Disturbs Soil–Microbe–PlantSystem through Component-Driven Effects
Summary
As microplastics break down in soil, they release chemicals that can seep into the dirt where our food grows—and this study found these chemicals affect soil health, harmful microbes, and plant growth differently depending on the type of plastic they came from. At low doses, these chemicals sometimes helped cabbage plants grow, but at higher doses they stunted growth, disrupted the plant's natural defenses, and boosted potentially disease-causing microbes in the soil. This matters because as plastic pollution builds up in farmland, it could quietly change the safety and quality of the vegetables we eat.
Microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter poses an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we investigated the effects of PP-DOM and PS-DOM (at concentrations of 0.1, 1, and 10 mg/L) on Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa), planted soils, and soil microbial communities. PP-DOM at 1 mg/L increased soil TOC, TN, and phosphorus, enriched opportunistic pathogens (Scedosporium), and affected iron outer membrane receptor proteins, while 1 mg/L PS-DOM enhanced available nitrogen and nitrogen-transforming bacteria (Rhodobacter, Luteimonas, and Nitrosospira). Both of them increased the abundance of three carbon metabolism-related genes (galR, atoB, fabG). PP-DOM stimulated plant growth at 0.1 mg/L but inhibited growth at higher concentrations; PS-DOM exhibited the opposite trend. PP-DOM at higher concentrations reduced chlorophyll and suppressed CAT/superoxide dismutase activities, while high-level PS-DOM increased chlorophyll and carotenoids with weaker oxidative damage. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that MP-DOM modulated the plant photosynthetic and amino acid metabolism pathways. Collectively, MP-DOM chemical composition critically shapes soil–microbe–plant ecological outcomes.