Differential regulation of organic carbon distribution in soil aggregates by non-biodegradable and biodegradable microplastics

Soil Aggregates and Organic Carbon Transformation in Response to Microplastics Pollution

AI summary · Read the abstract

Researchers synthesized 131 studies on microplastics in agricultural soils and found that microplastics destabilize soil aggregates, accelerate organic carbon mineralization, and stimulate microbial activity in ways that collectively degrade soil structure and increase carbon loss to the atmosphere.

Differential effects of microplastics on soil organic carbon via lignin phenols and amino sugars in soil aggregates

AI summary · Read the abstract

Pot experiments with corn showed that both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PLA microplastics reduced the accumulation of microbial carbon in soil aggregates, disrupting how organic matter builds up in the ground. Because microplastic-derived carbon can be miscounted as soil organic carbon, these findings suggest we may be overestimating soil health in contaminated agricultural fields.

Microplastics affect key soil functions – water, carbon and nutrient storage – and soil microbiota via interactions between plastic degradability and soil aggregation

Microplastics affect key soil functions – water, carbon and nutrient storage – and soil microbiota via interactions between plastic degradability and soil aggregation

Degradable microplastics induce more soil organic carbon loss via priming effects: a viewpoint

AI summary · Read the abstract

This viewpoint argues that degradable microplastics, despite being marketed as eco-friendly, may paradoxically accelerate soil organic carbon loss by triggering priming effects that stimulate microbial activity consuming native soil carbon stocks. This finding complicates assumptions about biodegradable plastics as a safe alternative, with implications for soil health, food security, and the long-term carbon cycle.