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Effects of microplastics on litter decomposition in wetland soil
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A 100-day lab experiment found that both polyethylene and PVC microplastics slowed the breakdown of plant litter in wetland soil, with effects worsening at higher concentrations. Microplastics disrupted soil enzyme activity and altered the microbial communities responsible for decomposing organic matter, which could impair the nutrient cycling that wetlands provide to broader ecosystems. Since wetlands are globally important carbon stores, microplastic-driven disruptions to decomposition processes could have climate-relevant consequences.
Microplastics (MPs) may interfere with the primary ecological processes of soil, which has become a growing global environmental issue. In terrestrial ecosystems, litter decomposition is the main process of nutrient cycling, particularly for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). However, how microplastic pollution could alter wetland litter decomposition has barely been investigated. Therefore, a 100-day lab-scale litter decomposition experiment was conducted using Shengjin Lake wetland soil, which was treated with two types of MPs (polyethylene, PE and polyvinyl chloride, PVC) at three concentrations (0.1%, 0.5%, and 2.5%, w/w), to explore if and how MPs accumulation could affect wetland litter decomposition processes. According to our research, the PE and PVC greatly slowed the decomposition rate of wetland litter. Compared with control treatments, the addition of MPs decreased litter quality (high C:N), reduced litter decomposition-related soil enzyme activity, decreased the diversity of bacteria, and altered microbial community structure and potential functional gene abundance linked to litter decomposition. These findings revealed that MPs could affect the main process of C and N cycling in wetland ecosystems, providing important cues for further research on the wetland ecosystem function.
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