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Phytotoxicity of microplastics to the floating plant Spirodela polyrhiza (L.): Plant functional traits and metabolomics
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Researchers exposed the aquatic plant duckweed to PVC microplastics and found that high concentrations severely stunted root growth by 42% and leaf reproduction by 61%. The microplastics disrupted the plant's carbon, nitrogen, and lipid metabolism, interfering with its ability to accumulate nutrients. Since aquatic plants are important for water ecosystems and can enter human food chains, this damage could have ripple effects on water quality and food safety.
Freshwater ecosystems are gradually becoming sinks for terrestrial microplastics (MPs), posing a potential ecological risk. Although the effects of MPs on plankton and aquatic animals in freshwater ecosystems have been given increasing attention, the toxicity of MPs to the metabolism of aquatic plants remains unclear. Here, the model aquatic plant Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid. (S. polyrhiza) was exposed to polyvinyl chloride (PVC; 0, 10, 100 and 1000 mg/L) MPs, and changes in the plant functional traits and physiological metabolism were monitored. The results showed that the high dose of PVC MPs decreased the adventitious root elongation ratio by 41.68% and leaf multiplication ratio by 61.03% of S. polyrhiza, and resulted in the decrease in anthocyanin and nitrogen contents to 63.45% and 84.21% of the control group, respectively. Moreover, the widely targeted metabolomics analysis results showed 37 differential metabolites in the low-dose treatment and 119 differential metabolites in the high-dose treatment. PVC MPs interfered with organic matter accumulation by affecting carbon metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism, and S. polyrhiza resists PVC MP stress by regulating the synthesis and metabolism of secondary metabolites. PVC MPs had concentration-related toxicological effects on plant functional traits, inhibited plant growth and reproduction, affected plant nutrient metabolism, and exhibited profound effects on the nitrogen fate of aquatic plant habitats. Overall, we systematically summarized the metabolic response mechanisms of aquatic plants to PVC MP stress, providing a new perspective for studying the effects of MPs on plant trait function and ecological risks.
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Researchers investigated the biological effects of microplastics contaminated with a mixture of heavy metals — copper, lead, and zinc — on the aquatic macrophyte greater duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza), measuring growth rate and physiological parameters. The study found that metal-adsorbing microplastics posed greater phytotoxic stress than clean microplastics, highlighting the combined hazard of plastic and metal co-contamination.
Plastic particles adsorb to the roots of freshwater vascular plant Spirodela polyrhiza but do not impair growth
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Nano- and microplastic particles were observed to adsorb to the roots of freshwater duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) but did not measurably impair the plant's growth or physiology at the tested concentrations. While the plastics physically attached to root surfaces, the plant appeared resilient, though the long-term ecological significance remains to be determined.
Growth, physiological parameters and DNA methylation in Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid exposed to PET micro-nanoplastic contaminated waters
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Researchers exposed duckweed plants to environmentally realistic levels of PET micro-nanoplastics from plastic bottles and found reduced growth, impaired photosynthesis, and changes in nutrient uptake. For the first time, the study also detected changes in DNA methylation patterns, meaning the plastics altered how genes are turned on and off without changing the DNA itself. This discovery of epigenetic effects from nanoplastics in plants raises questions about how plastic pollution could affect crop biology in ways we are only beginning to understand.
[Effects of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) on the growth, physiology, and biochemical characteristics of Hydrilla verticillata].
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Researchers exposed an aquatic plant to increasing concentrations of polystyrene microplastics and found that high doses stunted plant height, reduced chlorophyll, and impaired photosynthesis. Submerged aquatic plants form the base of freshwater food webs, and their disruption by microplastic pollution could cascade through aquatic ecosystems.
Negative impacts of nanoplastics on the purification function of submerged plants in constructed wetlands: Responses of oxidative stress and metabolic processes
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Researchers exposed a submerged aquatic plant commonly used in constructed wetlands to polystyrene nanoplastics and measured the impacts on growth, photosynthesis, and metabolism. They found that nanoplastics were absorbed and transported throughout the plant, reducing growth by up to 73 percent and disrupting key metabolic pathways including the citric acid cycle. The study suggests that nanoplastic accumulation in wetland plants could compromise their ability to purify water.
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