We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Impact of microplastics on soil (physical and chemical) properties, soil biological properties/soil biota, and response of plants to it: a review
AI summary Read the abstract
This comprehensive review synthesizes evidence that microplastics alter soil physical structure, chemical properties including pH and nutrient cycling, and the communities of earthworms, collembolans, and microbes that maintain soil health, with cascading effects on plant growth and agricultural productivity. Because healthy soils underpin global food production, microplastic-driven degradation of soil ecosystems represents a long-term threat to food security and introduces a terrestrial route by which plastic contaminants accumulate in crops consumed by humans.
Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as a widespread environmental contaminant, raising growing concerns about their impact on terrestrial ecosystems. This comprehensive review paper highlights the effects of MPs on soil properties, soil organisms, and plants, shedding light on the complex interactions within these critical components of terrestrial environments. In terms of soil properties, plastics, ranging from macroplastics to mesoplastics, microplastics, and nanoplastics, have been found to exert significant influence. They can alter soil physical attributes, including texture, structure, bulk density, water aggregate stability, water holding capacity, and rainwater infiltration. Microplastics can affect soil chemical properties by influencing pH levels, electrical conductivity, nutrient cycling, and enzyme activity, and even can cause heavy metal accumulation in plants. These alterations in soil properties have far-reaching implications for ecosystem health and agricultural productivity. Furthermore, microplastics have substantial repercussions on soil organisms, particularly earthworms, collembolans, and microbial communities comprising bacteria and fungi. These organisms play pivotal roles in nutrient cycling and soil health. Microplastics can disrupt their habitats, affect their behavior, and potentially lead to changes in soil biota composition, with widespread effects throughout the terrestrial food web. Microplastics influence plant growth and development; even the microplastic can be uptaken and translocated within plant tissues. Food safety and ecosystem dynamics are affected by these effects. This review paper emphasizes the urgency of understanding the complex interactions between microplastics and terrestrial ecosystems. It highlights the need for further research to comprehensively assess the extent and implications of microplastic contamination in various soil types, under different environmental conditions, and concerning diverse plastic characteristics. Standardized methodologies for studying these interactions are essential to facilitate comparisons across studies.
More Papers Like This
Soil health and microplastics: a review of the impacts of microplastic contamination on soil properties
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed a decade of studies on microplastic contamination in soil and found that microplastics alter soil chemistry and biology in complex ways depending on plastic type and concentration, with impacts expected to worsen as global plastic production continues to rise.
Microplastics in Soil Ecosystem: Insight on Its Fate and Impacts on Soil Quality
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined how plastic film used widely in Chinese agriculture breaks down and accumulates in soil, finding that microplastic debris may degrade soil quality and crop health over time, with potential ripple effects for food safety and agricultural sustainability.
Microplastic Pollution in Terrestrial Systems: Sources and Implications for Soil Functioning and Plant Performance
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed how microplastics enter terrestrial ecosystems through atmospheric deposition, irrigation, and agricultural mulching and found they reduce soil moisture, disrupt microbial communities, impair nutrient cycling, and harm earthworms — collectively threatening soil health and plant performance in agricultural and natural systems.
Review of microplastics in soils: state-of-the-art occurrence, transport, and investigation methods
AI summary Read the abstract
This review synthesizes sampling, pretreatment, and analytical methods for detecting microplastics in soil environments, noting that research has largely focused on contamination levels rather than behavioral dynamics and ecological impacts. The authors call for standardized testing protocols and predictive behavior models as microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils increasingly threatens food safety and ecosystem health.
Microplastics in soil: a review on research status, sources, methods, and remediation strategies
AI summary Read the abstract
A comprehensive literature review found that soil microplastic research lags far behind aquatic studies despite annual MP discharge into farmland exceeding marine inputs, with synthetic textiles, tire wear, and urban dust as dominant sources entering soil via atmospheric deposition, sewage irrigation, and agricultural film use. The soil MP burden threatens food crop health, risks leaching into groundwater, and poses intergenerational health risks through nutrient disruption and potential plant-to-human transmission pathways.
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.