We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Nanoplastic and phthalate induced stress responses in rhizosphere soil: Microbial communities and metabolic networks
AI summary Read the abstract
This study looked at how nanoplastics and a common plasticizer chemical (DBP) together affect the soil around dandelion roots, finding that the combination reduced soil quality and reshaped the communities of bacteria and fungi. The disruption of soil microbes and their chemical processes matters because it can affect the safety and quality of plants used for food and medicine.
The widespread use of plastic products in agriculture has introduced micro-nano plastics (MNPs) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) into soil ecosystems, disrupting microbial communities and altering metabolite profiles. However, their effects on the rhizosphere soil characteristics of medicinal plants like dandelion remain understudied. This study systematically examined the impact of PS NPs and DBP on rhizosphere microbial communities and metabolites by integrating high-throughput sequencing with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results demonstrated that individual and combined exposures to PS NPs and DBP decreased soil pH, organic matter content, and enzyme activities while reshaping the diversity, structure, and composition of rhizosphere bacteria and fungi. Notably, bacterial network stability and complexity increased under combined exposure, while fungal networks became more simplified, with a 33.72 % decrease in positive correlations. We identified potential PS NPs and DBP-degrading bacteria and biomarkers, including Nocardioides, Pseudarthrobacter, and Arenimonas. We revealed that co-exposure elevated differential soil metabolites associated with tyrosine metabolism and steroid biosynthesis. The significant positive associations between rhizosphere microorganisms and metabolites highlighted that metabolite accumulation was a key microbial response mechanism to stress. However, within the complex soil environment, the compensatory actions of microorganisms and metabolites were insufficient to mitigate the detrimental effects of PS NPs and DBP, resulting in continued inhibition of dandelion growth by 38.66 %. Consequently, these findings highlight that soil fungi and metabolism play key roles in responding to stress and influencing crop growth, providing novel insights into the impact of nanoparticle and plasticizer exposure on medicinal plant cultivation.
More Papers Like This
Revealing the metabolomics and biometrics underlying phytotoxicity mechanisms for polystyrene nanoplastics and dibutyl phthalate in dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics and a common plasticizer called dibutyl phthalate affect dandelion plants, both individually and in combination. They found that combined exposure significantly impaired plant growth, triggered oxidative stress, and disrupted key metabolic pathways more severely than either pollutant alone. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of nanoplastics and plastic additives in soil may pose compounding risks to plant health.
Rhizosphere microbial activities in response to combined effects of drought and microplastic
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how combined drought stress and microplastic contamination affect rhizosphere microbial activities, finding that microplastics exacerbated drought-induced suppression of soil enzyme activities and altered microbial community structure around plant roots.
Impact of Nanoplastic Contamination on Rhizosphere Microbiome and Plant Phenotype
AI summary Read the abstract
This study examined how nanoplastic contamination affects the rhizosphere microbiome (soil bacteria around plant roots) and plant growth. Nanoplastic exposure altered soil microbial communities and reduced plant growth, suggesting these tiny plastic particles could disrupt the soil ecosystems that support food production.
Effects of polypropylene micro(nano)plastics on soil bacterial and fungal community assembly in saline-alkaline wetlands
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists found that polypropylene nano-sized plastics disrupted soil bacterial communities more severely than micro-sized particles in saline wetland soil, reducing network complexity and altering how communities form. Bacteria were more sensitive to the plastic stress than fungi, and nanoplastics disrupted important interactions between soil microbes and plants. This suggests that as plastics break down into ever-smaller pieces in the environment, their impact on soil health may actually increase.
Microbiology combined with metabonomics revealing the response of soil microorganisms and their metabolic functions exposed to phthalic acid esters
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined how common plastic plasticizers (phthalic acid esters) affect soil microorganisms and their metabolic functions using genomic sequencing and metabolomics. They found that while plasticizers did not significantly change bacterial diversity in the short term, they altered community structure and disrupted metabolic pathways, with dibutyl phthalate affecting 172 metabolites and 43 metabolic pathways. The study also identified certain soil bacteria with potential to degrade these plasticizer compounds.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.