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The Migration, Biotoxicity and Biodegradation Methods of Microplastics in Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Review
Summary
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.