We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Role of microplastics in microbial community structure and functions in urban soils
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers analyzed 42 soil samples from seven types of urban areas and found that microplastics in city soil significantly alter the makeup and activity of microbial communities. Higher microplastic levels were linked to changes in bacteria involved in nutrient cycling and organic matter breakdown. This matters because healthy soil microbes are essential for urban green spaces, food gardens, and ultimately the quality of produce grown in city environments.
Evidence from the laboratory suggests that microplastics (MPs) can harm soil microorganisms, affecting the structures and functions of microbial communities. The impact of soil MPs on microbes in actual urban environments with high human activity levels, however, has not been well reported. To investigate the MP effect on urban soil microorganisms under complex scenarios, we analyzed 42 soil samples from standardized plots of 7 urban functional zones. We report that urban green spaces are important for studying microbial diversity in the study area, and they also contribute to the global homogenization of soil microbes and genes. Bacterial communities in soils enriched with various MPs showed greater differences in OTUs than fungi. Compared to low-MP soils, most ARGs and nutrient cycling genes had similar or slightly lower abundances in soils with high levels of MPs. The coupling of pollutant factors with MPs as independent variables had significant explanatory power for both positive and negative correlations in PLS-PM analysis. Specifically, PET and PP MPs explained 3.54% and 6.03%, respectively, of the microbial community and functional genes. This study fills knowledge gaps on the effects of MPs on urban soil microbial communities in real environments, facilitating better management of urban green spaces.
More Papers Like This
Impacts of microplastics and urbanization on soil health: An urgent concern for sustainable development
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed how microplastics and urbanization together degrade soil health — disrupting soil biology, contaminating food chains, and creating compounding risks beyond what either factor causes alone. The study calls for urgent management strategies including reducing plastic use, sustainable urban planning, and active soil restoration.
Time-dependent effects of microplastics on soil bacteriome
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how six common types of microplastics affect soil bacteria over time at realistic contamination levels. The effects were slow to appear due to the chemical stability of plastics, but over time, microplastics altered bacterial community structure and soil functions in ways that differed by plastic type. This matters because changes to soil bacteria can affect nutrient cycling and crop health, with potential downstream effects on food quality.
Microplastic Composition in Soils Reflects Anthropogenic Inputs Across Contrasting Land Uses
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers tested soils from cities, farmland, grassland and forests, finding microplastics in every sample, with city soils most contaminated. The main plastics found were PE, PP and PVC, and their mix differed from compost and sewage sludge samples, suggesting soil plastic types partly reflect these waste sources alongside other local factors.
Microbial Isolates in Microplastic-Polluted Soil
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers isolated and characterized microbial communities from microplastic-polluted soil, identifying bacteria capable of colonizing plastic surfaces and assessing their potential roles in plastic degradation and soil nutrient cycling.
Microbial community structure, function and environmental drivers of the urban soil plastisphere in a typical megacity, China.
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists studying city soil in Nanjing, China found that tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in the ground host their own distinct communities of fungi and bacteria, different from the microbes in surrounding soil, and even attract more harmful fungi like Fusarium. These plastic-based microbial communities also had altered nitrogen-processing activity and were more sensitive to pollution, suggesting that as microplastics build up in urban environments, they may create unstable pockets of microbes with unknown ripple effects on soil health, food systems, and potentially human exposure to pathogens or pollutants. More research is needed to understand
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.