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Phage Lysis Associated with Biodegradable Microplastics Mediates Microbial Physiological Adaptation to Transform Organic Matter in Soil
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A study of agricultural soil found that two biodegradable microplastics affected soil carbon differently by changing virus activity. One type reduced plant-based organic matter by boosting virus-caused bacterial die-off, while the other increased microbial-derived organic matter by helping surviving bacteria build new compounds from virus byproducts.
Abstract Biodegradable microplastics (MPs) profoundly impact the storage and stability of soil organic matter (SOM), yet the mechanisms by which phages mediate the transformation of plant- and microbially derived SOM under biodegradable MP perturbation remain poorly understood. This study integrated multiomics, stable isotope techniques, and phage inoculation experiments to investigate how phages mediate SOM transformation following biodegradable MP addition in agricultural soil. The results revealed that lytic phage-bacteria interactions were central to MP-dependent SOM transformation. Polylactic acid (PLA) reduced plant-derived organic molecules by 15% without affecting microbially derived carbon. PLA increased phage lysis and enriched auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) such as queC (2.2-fold increase), which supports phage replication and reduces microbial biomass. Pure culture experiments supported that PLA increased phage lytic infectivity. Phage inoculation further revealed that lytic phages accelerated bacteria to shift toward catabolism (e.g., lignocellulose degradation, citrate cycle) in PLA-amended soil, reducing carbon use efficiency (CUE) and accelerating decomposition of plant- and microbially derived carbon through viral shunt. In comparison, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) increased microbially derived molecules by 37%, particularly amino nitrogen compounds. The higher degradability of PHA stimulated lytic phage bloom with their hosts and enriched biosynthesis-related AMGs (e.g., cysH, glmS). Phage inoculation experiments showed that surviving bacteria assimilated phage lysate products into anabolism (e.g., amino acid and amino sugar biosynthesis), enriching metabolites such as l-isoleucine and MurNAc after PHA addition. This increased CUE and accumulation of microbial organics through viral shuttle. These findings uncover phage-mediated mechanisms linking microplastic perturbation to soil carbon cycling.
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Biodegradable MicroplasticDiversity Drives Soil CarbonLability via Phage-Boosted Bacterial Degradation of Recalcitrant Compounds
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Scientists found that when soil contains a greater variety of biodegradable microplastics (plastic bits meant to break down naturally), it speeds up how quickly soil carbon gets broken into simpler compounds, partly because tiny viruses that infect bacteria are helping them digest tough, hard-to-break-down organic matter. This matters because soil carbon storage helps regulate climate, and this research shows that even "eco-friendly" plastics can alter soil ecosystems in ways that may release stored carbon faster than expected, a reminder that biodegradable plastics aren't necessarily harmless as they break down in the environment
Soil viral–host interactions regulate microplastic-dependent carbon storage
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Researchers discovered that microplastics in soil affect carbon storage by changing how viruses and bacteria interact underground. Non-biodegradable microplastics reduced soil carbon by over 17%, while biodegradable ones slightly increased it, through different effects on microbial communities. This matters for human health because soil carbon cycling influences agricultural productivity and the broader climate system.
Microbial Physiological Adaptation to Biodegradable Microplastics Drives the Transformation and Reactivity of Dissolved Organic Matter in Soil
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Researchers studied how soil microbes adapt to biodegradable microplastics (PLA and PHA) and how this affects dissolved organic matter in agricultural soil over 56 days. They found that PLA tripled the oxidation of plant-derived organic matter by activating lignin decomposition pathways, while PHA doubled microbially derived compounds by accelerating bacterial protein synthesis and cell turnover. The study suggests that different biodegradable plastics trigger distinct microbial strategies that reshape soil carbon cycling.
From Microbes to Molecules: Biodegradable Microplastics Reshape Soil Carbon Metabolism and Composition of Dissolved Organic Matter
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"Biodegradable" plastics, often marketed as the eco-friendly alternative to regular plastic, actually shake up soil in bigger ways than conventional microplastics do—changing which microbes and viruses thrive there and how they break down carbon-containing matter. This matters because soil health underpins the food we eat and how well soil stores carbon, so before biodegradable plastics get widely used in farming, we need to understand their hidden effects on the soil ecosystems we depend on.
Soil-Dependent Microbial Metabolic Strategies Shape Microplastic-Induced Molecular Transformation of Dissolved Organic Matter
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Researchers studied two different farm soil types exposed to regular and biodegradable microplastics, tracking changes in dissolved organic matter and soil microbes. In nutrient-poor soil, biodegradable microplastics were linked to greater breakdown of organic matter and microbial changes favoring resource gathering, while in carbon-rich soil, effects were more limited and microbes favored growth-related traits.
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