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Data for Speißer et al. 2026 "Interactive effects of microplastics and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on grassland communities"

Original title: Data for Speißer et al. 2026 "Interactive effects of microplastics and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on grassland communities"

Figshare 2026
Benedikt Speißer, Yanjie Liu, Mark van Kleunen

Summary

Scientists spent two years testing how tiny plastic particles in soil affect grassland plants, and whether helpful soil fungi (which normally boost plant growth) can offset any harm. This matters because microplastics are building up in soils everywhere, including farmland, and understanding their effects on plant communities helps us predict impacts on food production and ecosystems that we humans ultimately depend on.

The data refers to the manuscript Speißer et al. 2026 "Interactive effects of microplastics and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on grassland communities", in which we report the results of a two-year outdoor experiment, testing the effects of different types of artificial particles (glass, different microplastics) and their interactions with arbuscular mycorrhiza on two plant-community types representing species rich dry grassland and less species rich mesic grassland communities.

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