We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microbial resistance in rhizosphere hotspots under biodegradable and non-degradable microplastic amendment: Community and functional sensitivity
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined microbial community and functional sensitivity in rhizosphere hotspots amended with biodegradable and non-degradable microplastics, assessing how different polymer types affect microbial resistance and functional diversity in agricultural soils.
The annual global production of plastics is currently nearly 400 million tons, leading to widespread concern regarding the quantity of degradation-resistant plastics entering terrestrial environments. Farmland soils are a major sink for microplastics (MPs, size
More Papers Like This
Conventional and biodegradable microplastics elicit contrasting taxon-level responses in rhizosphere microbiomes of maize and strawberry
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers grew maize and strawberry in soil spiked with LDPE, PET, or PBAT microplastics and profiled both total and actively growing rhizosphere microbial communities, finding that biodegradable PBAT selectively enriched putative polymer-degrading taxa regardless of plant species, while conventional microplastics caused broader community-wide compositional shifts.
The Structural and Functional Responses of Rhizosphere Bacteria to Biodegradable Microplastics in the Presence of Biofertilizers
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics interact with biofertilizers in crop soils and found that even though biodegradable plastics are designed as greener alternatives, they still significantly altered soil bacterial communities and disrupted carbon metabolism pathways. The findings suggest that biodegradable microplastics may affect soil health differently than conventional plastics, but are not necessarily harmless.
Effects of microplastics on common bean rhizosphere bacterial communities
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how polyethylene and biodegradable microplastics affect bacterial communities in the root zone of common beans. Both types of microplastics significantly altered the diversity and composition of rhizosphere bacteria, with biodegradable microplastics inducing more distinctive changes than conventional polyethylene at higher concentrations.
Effects of polyethylene microplastics on the microbial community structure of maize rhizosphere soil
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics from agricultural films affect the microbial communities in crop root zones (rhizosphere), finding shifts in bacterial diversity and function. Disrupting soil microbiomes through microplastic contamination could have downstream effects on soil fertility and crop health.
Microplastic particles alter wheat rhizosphere soil microbial community composition and function
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that microplastic particles altered wheat rhizosphere soil microbial community composition and function, with different polymer types inducing distinct shifts in bacterial diversity and nutrient cycling processes.
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.