We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastics affect ecosystem multifunctionality: Increasing evidence from soil enzyme activities
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how microplastics alter the activity of soil enzymes that are essential for nutrient cycling, decomposition, and carbon regulation. Biodegradable microplastics generally caused more pronounced effects than conventional plastics, and the changes in enzyme activity could ultimately affect soil fertility and the nutritional quality of crops grown for human consumption.
Abstract Microplastics (MPs) as emerging contaminants have a global occurrence, including both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Soil enzymes contribute to maintaining ecosystem multifunctionality, for example, nutrient cycling, organic material decomposition, and carbon and climate regulation. Our present review highlights the impacts of MPs on soil enzyme activities, influencing factors, and the underlying mechanisms. Increasing findings confirm that MPs can change the activities of a range of soil enzymes involved in the biogeochemical cycling of C and N. However, current results are highly controversial. The effects of MPs highly vary from significant to nonsignificant and are dependent on polymer type, biodegradability, dosage, size, shape, and aging degree of MPs, and exposure conditions. Compared to traditional MPs, biodegradable MPs generally show more pronounced effects. MPs can change soil enzyme activities via different pathways. On one hand, MPs can directly change soil enzyme structure, leading to alterations in enzyme activity. On the other hand, MPs can create unique habitats, provide carbon sources for specific functional microbes producing enzymes, and release plastic additives and pollutants disturbing the production of these enzymes. Furthermore, MPs can alter soil physicochemical and biological properties, the availability of substrates, plants and soil fauna, regulating soil enzymes and their functions. In conclusion, MPs can regulate soil enzyme activities and pose a profound impact on ecosystem multifunctionality.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics and Soil Nutrient Cycling
AI summary Read the abstract
Microplastics accumulating in agricultural soils can disrupt the natural cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus by altering microbial communities and reducing soil enzyme activity. This review highlights that even at current environmental concentrations, microplastics may impair the soil ecosystem functions that underpin food production, though the full extent of effects on nutrient cycles remains incompletely understood.
Global Responses of Soil Extracellular Enzyme Activities to Biodegradable and Nonbiodegradable Microplastics: A Meta-Analysis of Laboratory Studies
AI summary Read the abstract
This meta-analysis pools data from 72 studies to examine how microplastics change soil enzyme activity, which is important for nutrient cycling in farmland. The findings show that biodegradable microplastics have a stronger effect than conventional ones, and that these changes could alter how nutrients move through soil, potentially affecting the crops we grow and eat.
Global Responsesof Soil Extracellular Enzyme Activitiesto Biodegradable and Nonbiodegradable Microplastics: A Meta-Analysisof Laboratory Studies
AI summary Read the abstract
This meta-analysis pools data from 72 studies to assess how both biodegradable and conventional microplastics affect soil enzyme activity. The findings reveal that even biodegradable plastics alter the enzymes that drive nutrient cycling in soil, suggesting that so-called eco-friendly plastic alternatives may still disrupt the soil processes that support healthy food production.
Microplastic effects on soil nitrogen cycling enzymes: A global meta-analysis of environmental and edaphic factors
AI summary Read the abstract
This large-scale meta-analysis of 147 studies found that microplastics in soil significantly increased urease and leucine aminopeptidase enzyme activities by about 8%, potentially disrupting nitrogen cycling. Biodegradable microplastics had more pronounced effects than conventional plastics, and responses depended on soil pH, polymer type, particle size, and concentration.
Microplastic Can Decrease Enzyme Activities and Microbes in Soil
AI summary Read the abstract
In a laboratory experiment, adding microplastics to soil significantly reduced beneficial soil bacteria and the activity of key enzymes needed for nutrient cycling, with effects worsening at higher microplastic concentrations. Enzyme activities dropped by 32% to 50% depending on the enzyme type. This matters for human health because degraded soil biology means less productive farmland and potentially reduced nutritional quality of food crops grown in microplastic-contaminated soil.
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.