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Comparative evaluation of the impacts of different microplastics on greenhouse gas emissions, microbial community structure, and ecosystem multifunctionality in paddy soil
Summary
Researchers compared the effects of polylactic acid, low-density polyethylene, and polypropylene microplastics on greenhouse gas emissions and soil ecosystem functions in paddy soil over 41 days. They found that all three microplastic types increased soil carbon nutrients and pH, while suppressing CO2 and N2O emissions in most cases, leading to reduced global warming potential. The study suggests that different microplastic polymers have varying effects on soil ecosystem multifunctionality, with some types improving it and others having detrimental effects.
Although the increasing accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in terrestrial soil ecosystems has aroused worldwide concern, research remains limited on their potential impacts on soil processes and ecosystem functionality. Here, through a 41-day microcosm experiment, we found that polylactic acid (PLA), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polypropylene (PP) MPs consistently increased soil carbon nutrients and pH but had varying effects on soil nitrogen nutrients and the chemodiversity of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Different treatments led to notable shifts in the α-diversity and composition of soil microbial community, with phyla Proteobacteria and Ascomycota consistently enriched by MPs regardless of polymer type. The emissions of CO and NO were suppressed by MPs in most cases, which in combination led to a decline in global warming potential. LDPE and 1 - 1.5 % of PLA MPs significantly improved the multifunctionality of the soil ecosystem, while PP and 0.5 % of PLA MPs exerted an opposite effect. Soil total organic carbon, pH, DOM molecular mass and condensation degree, and CO emissions were identified as the most important variables for predicting soil ecosystem multifunctionality. Results of this study can extend the current understanding of the impacts of MPs on soil biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem functionality.
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