We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Combined effects of mulch film-derived microplastics and pesticides on soil microbial communities and element cycling
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how microplastics from agricultural plastic mulch film interact with commonly used pesticides in cotton field soil. When present together, the pesticides had a stronger impact on soil bacteria than the microplastics alone, and the combination disrupted important nutrient cycling processes for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. This matters because farmland contaminated with both microplastics and pesticides may experience compounding damage to soil health, ultimately affecting food production.
Pesticides and microplastics (MPs) derived from mulch film in agricultural soil can independently impact soil ecology, yet the consequences of their combined exposure remain unclear. Therefore, the effects of simultaneous exposure to commonly used pesticides (imidacloprid and flumioxazin) and aged mulch film-derived MPs on soil microorganisms and element cycles in cotton fields were investigated. The combined exposure influenced soil microorganisms, alongside processes related to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles, exhibiting effects that were either neutralized or enhanced compared to individual exposures. The impact of pesticides in combined exposure was notably more significant and played a dominant role than that of MPs. Specifically, combined exposure intensified changes in soil bacterial community and symbiotic networks. The combined exposure neutralized NH, NO, DOC, and A-P contents, shifting from 0.33 % and 40.23 % increase in MPs and pesticides individually to a 40.24 % increase. Moreover, combined exposure resulted in the neutralization or amplification of the nitrogen-fixing gene nifH, nitrifying genes (amoA and amoB), and denitrifying genes (nirS and nirK), the carbon cycle gene cbbLG and the phosphorus cycle gene phoD from 0.48 and 2.57-fold increase to a 2.99-fold increase. The combined exposure also led to the neutralization or enhancement of carbon and nitrogen cycle functional microorganisms, shifting from a 1.53-fold inhibition and 10.52-fold increase to a 6.39-fold increase. These findings provide additional insights into the potential risks associated with combined pesticide exposure and MPs, particularly concerning soil microbial communities and elemental cycling processes.
More Papers Like This
Effect of flumetsulam alone and coexistence with polyethylene microplastics on soil microbial carbon and nitrogen cycles: Elucidation of bacterial community structure, functional gene expression, and enzyme activity
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers tested how the herbicide flumetsulam interacts with polyethylene microplastics in soil and found that both individually and together they reduced bacteria and fungi populations. When microplastics were present alongside the herbicide, the soil bacterial community shifted more dramatically, though carbon and nitrogen cycling remained largely unchanged. The study suggests that the combined presence of herbicides and microplastics in agricultural soil creates distinct effects on microbial life compared to either contaminant alone.
Interactions of microplastics with pesticides and anthelminthics mediate undesirable effects on microbial nitrogen cycling in agricultural soils
AI summary Read the abstract
This study examined how microplastics (LDPE, PBAT, and starch-based) interact with pesticides and veterinary medicines to affect soil microbiota. The co-exposure of MPs with these agricultural chemicals produced undesirable effects on microbial communities beyond those of each contaminant alone.
Combined contamination of microplastic and antibiotic alters the composition of microbial community and metabolism in wheat and maize rhizosphere soil
AI summary Read the abstract
A study found that when soil is contaminated with both microplastics and antibiotics together, the damage to wheat and maize seedlings is worse than from either contaminant alone, with increased root oxidative stress and disrupted soil bacterial communities. This combined contamination, common in agricultural soils treated with plastic mulch and livestock manure, could affect crop health and food quality.
Combined pollution of soil by heavy metals, microplastics, and pesticides: Mechanisms and anthropogenic drivers
AI summary Read the abstract
This study investigated how heavy metals, microplastics, and pesticides interact when they contaminate soil together, finding that their combined effects are complex and often worse than any single pollutant. Microplastics can absorb and concentrate both heavy metals and pesticides, changing how these chemicals move through soil and into plants. The findings highlight how agricultural soils contaminated with multiple pollutants could increase human exposure through crops grown in that soil.
Interactions of microplastics with pesticides and anthelminthics mediate undesirable effects on microbial nitrogen cycling in agricultural soils
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how three microplastic types (LDPE, PBAT, and starch-based) interact with the fungicide pyraclostrobin and the anthelmintic fenbendazole in agricultural soils, measuring effects on soil microbiota. Combined exposures often produced non-additive or antagonistic effects on microbial communities, complicating risk assessments of MPs in agricultural settings.
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.