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Microplastics accelerate carbon mineralization in wetland soils through reed-mediated rhizosphere dissolved organic matter and microbial shifts
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Tiny plastic particles from everyday products are building up in wetland soils, and new research shows they speed up the breakdown of soil carbon, especially when plants like reeds are present, since plant roots seem to help microbes break things down faster. This matters because wetlands are one of nature's best tools for storing carbon and fighting climate change, so if microplastics are causing them to release more CO2 instead of storing it, that could weaken this natural climate defense over time. While this study focused on soil and plants rather than direct human health effects, it adds to growing evidence that microplastic pollution can disrupt natural systems we depend on for a stable
Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly detected in wetland soils, yet their potential impacts on soil carbon cycling and the role of plants in modulating these effects remain poorly understood. Here, we evaluated the effects of polypropylene (PP) MPs (0.01 – 0.1 wt%) on soil carbon mineralization in wetland soils, and examined how these responses differed in the presence and absence of reeds ( Phragmites australis ). We found that PP MPs significantly enhanced soil carbon mineralization, with more pronounced CO 2 release observed in planted soils than in unplanted soils, indicating that plant presence altered soil carbon mineralization responses to MPs. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry revealed that MPs simplified dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition and increased the proportion of oxidized and bioavailable DOM, particularly in planted soils. These changes were accompanied by significant shifts in microbial community structure and metabolic traits, promoting microbial respiration. Functional gene analyses further showed enhanced abundance of genes associated with key carbon fixation pathways, including the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle and the reductive acetyl-CoA pathway, indicating intensified microbial carbon processing. These findings highlight the importance of plant-mediated rhizosphere processes in modulating the effects of MPs on soil carbon dynamics and provide empirical insights into the mechanisms underlying MPs impacts on wetland biogeochemical processes.
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Mechanisms underpinning microplastic effects on the natural climate solutions of wetland ecosystems
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Microplastics are entering wetlands worldwide and disrupting the plants and microbes that make wetlands powerful carbon sinks, potentially turning these ecosystems from carbon absorbers into greenhouse gas emitters. This review maps the mechanisms by which microplastics interfere with wetland carbon storage and calls for this threat to be factored into global climate commitments like the Paris Agreement's net-zero targets. The findings are a warning that plastic pollution could quietly undermine one of nature's most important tools for fighting climate change.
Microplastics Generate Less Mineral Protection of Soil Carbon and More CO2 Emissions
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Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released from microplastics affects soil carbon storage compared to natural organic matter. They found that microplastic-derived compounds are nearly eight times more easily consumed by soil microbes, leading to significantly higher carbon dioxide emissions and much less carbon being stored in soil minerals. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution in agricultural and natural soils may undermine the land's ability to store carbon and contribute to climate warming.
Carbon Cycling in Wetlands Under the Shadow of Microplastics: Challenges and Prospects
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This review examines how microplastics disrupt carbon cycling in wetlands, which are critical ecosystems for capturing and storing carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change. Microplastics can damage plant roots, alter soil microbial communities, and accelerate the breakdown of stored organic carbon, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. The findings highlight that microplastic pollution may undermine wetlands' ability to help regulate the climate.
Reeds (Phragmites australis) modulate the impacts of microplastics on carbon and nitrogen metabolisms in wetland soil
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Researchers investigated how polypropylene microplastics at two concentrations differentially affected soil carbon and nitrogen metabolic processes in wetland soils in the presence and absence of reeds (Phragmites australis). They found that the plant-microbe-microplastic interaction produced contrasting effects: in planted soils, microplastics enhanced the reductive citrate cycle and suppressed denitrification gene abundance, while these effects were absent in unplanted soils.
Effect of microplastics on CO2 emission from Yellow River Delta wetland
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Researchers found that microplastic contamination in Yellow River Delta wetland soils altered CO2 emissions, with different polymer types and concentrations producing varying effects on soil carbon dynamics — raising concern that plastic pollution could undermine the carbon sequestration function of coastal wetlands.
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