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The Migration, Biotoxicity and Biodegradation Methods of Microplastics in Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Review
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics migrate globally via atmospheric and riverine transport, accumulate in remote ecosystems, and cause physical damage, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption in organisms that ingest them. This comprehensive toxicity profile—including size-dependent effects and amplified harm from adsorbed contaminants—directly informs human health risk assessments given the widespread presence of microplastics in food and water.
Microplastics (MPs), as a globally emerging pollutant, have become a research focus due to their environmental behaviour and health risks. In terms of migration, microplastics can traverse media and even traverse globally via atmospheric transport, riverine conveyance, and biological activity, accumulating in remote regions such as the deep sea and polar areas. Detection techniques face challenges posed by complex environmental matrices, necessitating the integration of spectroscopic methods (such as μ-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy) with thermal analysis techniques (e.g., Py-GC/MS), alongside the development of standardised protocols to enhance detection precision for nanoscale particles. Biotoxicity studies indicate that microplastics, once ingested by organisms, can induce physical damage (e.g., intestinal blockage), oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and endocrine disruption. Their toxicity is amplified by particle size, surface characteristics, and adsorbed contaminants (e.g., PAHs, heavy metals). Biodegradation represents a potential removal pathway, with enzymes (e.g., PETase) secreted by microorganisms (e.g., Ideonella sakaiensis) and insects (e.g., wax moths) capable of degrading specific polymers, albeit at slow natural rates; UV or thermal pretreatment can enhance degradation efficiency. Environmental ageing processes such as photodegradation and abrasion alter microplastics' surface properties and enhance their contaminant adsorption capacity. Research in terrestrial ecosystems lags considerably, necessitating urgent clarification of microplastics' long-term impacts on soil structure, microbial function, and crop growth, alongside quantification of their migration patterns within soil–plant systems. Regarding food chain risks, microplastics may transfer through bioaccumulation and magnification effects. Upon human ingestion via diets (e.g., seafood, crops), particles may penetrate biological barriers, potentially harming intestinal health and the immune system. This review's novelty lies in: systematically integrating the latest mechanistic evidence on microplastics' cross-medium migration and food chain transfer; analysing the strengths, limitations, and standardisation bottlenecks of detection technologies in complex matrices; proposing multi-technique integration and AI-assisted analysis as developmental directions; and highlighting the urgency of terrestrial ecological research alongside the compound effects of microplastics and pollutants.
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Microplastics in Terrestrial Ecosystem: Degradation Strategies for Its Mitigation
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Researchers reviewing microplastic degradation strategies in terrestrial ecosystems found that pandemic-related increases in single-use plastic use have worsened soil contamination, and evaluated biodegradation, photodegradation, and other mitigation approaches for reducing microplastic persistence in soil environments.
Occurrence and Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics — now present in the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe — accumulate in and harm both aquatic and land-based ecosystems, highlighting the broad reach of plastic pollution as a threat to wildlife and potentially to human health.
Microplastics in Terrestrial Ecosystems
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This review assessed microplastic accumulation in terrestrial ecosystems — including agricultural soils, forests, and urban environments — documenting effects on soil structure, earthworm health, plant growth, and microbial diversity driven by decades of dramatic plastic production growth. Because terrestrial environments receive far more microplastic deposition than oceans yet are less studied, the soil contamination documented here directly threatens food production and represents a major underappreciated source of human dietary microplastic exposure through crops and soil-grown produce.
Micro and nanoplastics in terrestrial ecosystems: pathways, health implications, and mitigation strategies
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Tiny plastic fragments from things like plastic mulch, tires, and compost are building up in farm soils, breaking down further, and getting absorbed by plant roots, meaning they could be entering the food we eat. This review pulls together existing research showing these particles can also harm soil health and plant growth, and while early studies suggest they may cause inflammation and cellular stress in living things, scientists still don't have solid data on how risky this is for human health. The takeaway: it's a real and growing concern worth watching, but more research is needed before we know exactly how much it affects us.
Microplastics Effects in the Terrestrial Environment
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Microplastics released into soil systems interact with soil chemistry, microbial communities, and plant uptake pathways in ways that threaten terrestrial ecosystem health over time. Because soils are foundational to food production and filter water that reaches humans, microplastic accumulation in terrestrial environments carries direct implications for agricultural safety and human dietary exposure.
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