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Soil microorganisms in the age of plastic pollution: effects of micro- and nano-plastics on soil health
Summary
This review pulls together research on how tiny plastic particles in soil affect the microbes that keep soil healthy—finding that these particles can stress and damage microbial cells, while also creating surfaces where antibiotic-resistant bacteria can multiply and spread their resistance genes to other bacteria. This matters because healthy soil microbes support the food we grow, and the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment could make infections harder to treat in people. The review also notes that plastics break down far less in soil than many assume, meaning this contamination is likely to stick around and keep affecting soil ecosystems for a long time.
Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) are emerging contaminants in soil ecosystems that influence microbial communities and key ecological processes through complex physicochemical and biological interactions. This review synthesizes current knowledge on MNP-microbe interactions, highlighting the central role of the eco-corona, which governs particle bioavailability and mediates interactions with microbial cells in realistic soil environments. At the nanoscale, MNPs exhibit distinct molecular mechanisms, including surface charge-driven interactions, hydrophobic insertion into lipid bilayers, and cellular internalization, leading to oxidative stress and membrane disruption. The formation of plastisphere biofilms is identified as a critical factor shaping microbial community dynamics and acting as a hotspot for antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) enrichment and horizontal gene transfer (HGT). In addition, the impacts of weathered plastics, additive leaching, and co-contaminant transport are discussed in relation to their enhanced ecological risks. The review also adopts a critical perspective on microbial degradation, distinguishing superficial surface modifications from true biodegradation involving polymer depolymerization and mineralization, and highlights the limited evidence for effective degradation of conventional plastics. Despite recent advances, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding long-term environmental behavior, standardized analytical approaches, and realistic soil conditions, underscoring the need for more integrated and mechanistic research to better understand the ecological implications of MNP contamination.