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Aging reduces the negative effect of low-density polyethylene microplastics on soil-plant-microbial systems
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This study compared the effects of original and UV-aged low-density polyethylene microplastics at two particle sizes on soil properties, plant performance, and microbial communities. Aging reduced the negative impacts of LDPE microplastics, suggesting that environmental weathering partially mitigates the harm these particles cause to soil-plant-microbe systems.
Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive pollutants in terrestrial ecosystems, where they inevitably undergo aging driven by light, heat, and biological activity. Aging alters MP properties and may reshapes their interactions with plants, soil, and microbial communities. This study evaluated the effects of original and UV-aged low-density polyethylene MPs (LDPE-MPs) at different particle sizes (5 and 500 μm) and concentrations (0.1 % and 1 %, w/w) on pak choi (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) growth, soil properties, and microbial communities via a controlled pot experiment. The addition of 1 % (w/w) 500 μm original LDPE-MPs significantly inhibited plant height, chlorophyll content (SPAD), and biomass by up to 75.9 %, whereas aged LDPE-MPs caused minimal growth inhibition. Notably, aged LDPE-MPs enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by 82.3 % and 14.2 %, respectively. Both MP types elevated oxidative stress indicators, including malondialdehyde (MDA), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities, but reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. MP treatments also improved soil organic matter (SOM) and cation exchange capacity (CEC), with the 0.1 % (w/w) 5 μm LDPE-MPs treatment showing the strongest effects. Larger MPs raised soil nitrate-nitrogen (NO-N) content, while smaller MPs enhanced available phosphorus (AP). Microbial analysis revealed that aged LDPE-MPs inhibited bacterial groups involved in carbon mineralization and denitrification but promoted saprophytic fungi. Structural equation modeling indicated that UV-aging reduced the toxicity of LDPE-MPs by mitigating negative impacts on plant growth and bacterial communities, enhancing beneficial fungal populations, and stabilizing soil carbon and nitrogen cycling. These findings provide mechanistic insights into the long-term ecological risks of aged MPs in agroecosystems.
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Researchers investigated how pristine and aged low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics distribute across soil aggregate size fractions, examining whether weathering alters interactions between plastic particles and the soil matrix. The study found that aging significantly modified microplastic surface properties and changed their redistribution patterns within aggregate fractions compared to pristine particles.
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Researchers examined how UV-driven photodegradation alters the effects of microplastics on soil properties and plant growth. The study found that degraded plastic fibers increased soil water retention and respiration more than their non-degraded counterparts, while degraded foams reduced soil aggregation, demonstrating that the environmental weathering state of microplastics is an important factor in determining their ecological impact.
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Scientists studied how sunlight aging changes the way bacteria colonize microplastics in soil, finding that weathered plastics attracted different bacterial communities than fresh plastics. Aged microplastics initially supported less biofilm growth but developed bacteria with greater ability to break down carbon compounds. This research helps explain how microplastics behave differently in real-world soil conditions versus lab settings, which matters for understanding how plastics affect agricultural land and the food grown in it.
Effect of LDPE microplastics on chemical properties and microbial communities in soil
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Low-density polyethylene microplastics were added to soil at varying concentrations, revealing dose-dependent effects on soil chemical properties and shifts in microbial community composition. Higher LDPE concentrations altered soil pH, nutrient availability, and bacterial diversity, raising concerns about plastic impacts on soil ecosystem function.
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Researchers compared how virgin and UV-aged polyethylene microplastics affect two types of small soil organisms at environmentally relevant concentrations. They found contrasting responses between species: one type showed reduced survival but increased reproduction with aged particles, while another showed the opposite pattern. The study highlights that microplastic aging and species differences both matter when assessing the ecological impact of plastic pollution in soils.
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