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Metagenomic analysis reveals gene taxonomic and functional diversity response to microplastics and cadmium in an agricultural soil
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Using advanced DNA analysis of soil microbes, researchers found that different types of microplastics (polyethylene, polystyrene, and PLA bioplastic) each had distinct effects on soil microbial communities in agricultural land. Microplastics had a greater impact on microbes than cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, and high doses of PLA bioplastic notably increased genes linked to disease-causing organisms and nitrogen metabolism. This suggests that even biodegradable plastics can significantly alter soil health in farmland.
Both microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals are common soil pollutants and can interact to generate combined toxicity to soil ecosystems, but their impact on soil microbial communities (e.g., archaea and viruses) remains poorly studied. Here, metagenomic analysis was used to explore the response of soil microbiome in an agricultural soil exposed to MPs [i.e., polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polylactic acid (PLA)] and/or Cd. Results showed that MPs had more profound effects on microbial community composition, diversity, and gene abundances when compared to Cd or their combination. Metagenomic analysis indicated that the gene taxonomic diversity and functional diversity of microbial communities varied with MPs type and dose. MPs affected the relative abundance of major microbial phyla and genera, while their coexistence with Cd influenced dominant fungi and viruses. Nitrogen-transforming and pathogenic genera, which were more sensitive to MPs variations, could serve as the indicative taxa for MPs contamination. High-dose PLA treatments (10%, w/w) not only elevated nitrogen metabolism and pathogenic genes, but also enriched copiotrophic microbes from the Proteobacteria phylum. Overall, MPs and Cd showed minimal interactions on soil microbial communities. This study highlights the microbial shifts due to co-occurring MPs and Cd, providing evidence for understanding their environmental risks.
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Metagenomic analysis reveals soil microbiome responses to microplastics and ZnO nanoparticles in an agricultural soil
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Researchers used advanced genetic analysis to show that microplastics and zinc oxide nanoparticles together alter soil microbe communities in ways that disrupt nutrient cycling, including carbon and nitrogen processing. Notably, biodegradable PLA plastic caused more harm to fungal communities than conventional plastics like polyethylene, challenging the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer for the environment.
Effects of long-term microplastic pollution on soil heavy metals and metal resistance genes: Distribution patterns and synergistic effects
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Using metagenomics on cropland soils with long-term plastic film residues, researchers found that microplastic pollution alters heavy metal distribution and promotes the enrichment of metal resistance genes in soil microbial communities, with implications for food security.
Investigation of Soil-Dwelling Bacterial Community Changes Induced by Microplastic Ex posure Using Amplicon Sequencing
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Researchers analyzed soil bacterial community composition after microplastic contamination, finding that different polymer types caused distinct shifts in microbial diversity and functional groups, with implications for soil nutrient cycling and agricultural productivity.
Mechanisms of polyethylene microplastics on microbial community assembly and carbon-nitrogen transformation potentials in soils with different textures
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Researchers used DNA sequencing to examine how polyethylene microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon-nitrogen cycling across soils with different textures. They found that microplastics significantly shifted microbial community composition and altered the abundance of genes involved in carbon and nitrogen transformation, with effects varying by soil type. The study suggests that microplastic contamination may disrupt fundamental nutrient cycling processes differently depending on soil characteristics.
Impacts of polypropylene microplastics on the distribution of cadmium, enzyme activities, and bacterial community in black soil at the aggregate level
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Researchers found that adding polypropylene microplastics to soil contaminated with cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) changed how the metal distributed across different soil particle sizes and shifted bacterial communities. The microplastics increased cadmium availability in some soil fractions, potentially making it easier for plants to absorb this toxic metal. This suggests that microplastic-contaminated farmland may pose greater heavy metal exposure risks for crops and, ultimately, for people who eat them.
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