Soil-aged microplastics exhibit stronger effects than air- and rainwater-aged ones on the network complexity and assembly process of soil microbial community

Microplastics increase soil microbial network complexity and trigger diversity-driven community assembly

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Researchers found that microplastics in soil increased bacterial network complexity and shifted microbial community assembly in a diversity-dependent manner, with high-density polyethylene causing more harm to plant growth than polystyrene or polylactic acid particles.

Microplastics affect key soil functions – water, carbon and nutrient storage – and soil microbiota via interactions between plastic degradability and soil aggregation

Microplastics affect key soil functions – water, carbon and nutrient storage – and soil microbiota via interactions between plastic degradability and soil aggregation

Microplastics reduce soil microbial network complexity and ecological deterministic selection

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Researchers found that microplastics reduce soil microbial network complexity and shift community assembly from deterministic to more stochastic processes, suggesting that microplastic pollution may fundamentally alter microbial ecological interactions in terrestrial systems.

Microplastics in agricultural soils: Impacts on soil microbial communities, nutrient cycling, earthworm health, and soil ecosystem functions

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This review pulls together existing research showing that tiny plastic bits building up in farm soil, from sources like plastic mulch and sewage sludge, are harming the soil itself, disrupting the microbes and earthworms that keep it healthy and fertile. This matters because damaged soil means reduced crop growth and food security over time, and these same microplastics can carry harmful chemicals and heavy metals that may end up in our food, water, and air. The researchers stress that without action to reduce plastic pollution now, the damage to farmland could become permanent.