We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Modulation of Soil Microenvironment and Plant Gene Expression by Earthworms Reduces Propylene Microplastic-Induced Growth Stress in Chinese Milk Vetch (Astragalus Sinicus L.)
No summary available — this paper's abstract is not included in the open metadata provided by the publisher. Learn why →
More Papers Like This
Modulation of soil microenvironment and plant gene expression by earthworms reduces polypropylene microplastic-induced growth stress in Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.)
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that earthworms can mitigate the harmful effects of polypropylene microplastics on Chinese milk vetch by modifying soil properties and influencing plant gene expression. In pot experiments, microplastics significantly reduced plant growth, but the presence of earthworms counteracted these effects by improving soil structure and nutrient availability. The study suggests that soil organisms like earthworms play an important role in buffering plants against microplastic stress.
Earthworms Modulate the Toxicity Effect of Low-Density Polyethylene on Plant Development
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that earthworms can partially offset the toxic effects of low-density polyethylene microplastics on plant growth, suggesting that soil biodiversity plays a protective role against plastic pollution and that loss of earthworm populations could worsen microplastic impacts on agriculture.
Microplastics in agricultural soils: Impacts on soil microbial communities, nutrient cycling, earthworm health, and soil ecosystem functions
AI summary Read the abstract
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.
Effects of microplastic on soil ecosystems: a perspective from functional genes
AI summary Read the abstract
This review synthesized how microplastics alter soil microbial functional genes involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling, antibiotic resistance, and enzyme activity, with the plastisphere identified as a hotspot for gene exchange among microbes. Disruption of soil microbial gene networks threatens the foundational biogeochemical processes that maintain soil fertility and ecosystem function, with cascading implications for food security and broader environmental health.
Single and combined effects of secondary polyethylene microplastic on the growth of Pak choi and the soil microbiome composition
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that secondary polyethylene microplastics (aged via weathering and mechanical stress) significantly inhibited Pak choi growth, caused oxidative damage to plant cells, and altered soil microbial composition, while showing antagonistic combined effects with DDT and naphthalene due to MP adsorption of co-contaminants. Agriculturally realistic aged PE microplastics harm food crops and disrupt the soil microbiome, with soil chemical properties changing in ways that could affect long-term agricultural productivity.
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.