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Influence of cadmium and microplastics on physiological responses, ultrastructure and rhizosphere microbial community of duckweed
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Researchers studied the combined effects of cadmium and polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics on duckweed, an aquatic plant. Interestingly, the study found that microplastics combined with cadmium actually reduced the heavy metal's toxicity to the plant compared to cadmium exposure alone, while also increasing the diversity of beneficial microbes in the root zone.
The combined contamination of heavy metals and microplastics is widespread in freshwater environments. However, there are few researches on their combined effects on aquatic plants. In this study, the effects of single and combined stress of 0.01 mg L-1 cadmium (Cd), 50 mg L-1 polyethylene and 50 mg L-1 polypropylene for 15 days on the physiological response, ultrastructure and rhizosphere microbial community of duckweed were investigated. The results showed that Cd and microplastics single or combined stress inhibited the growth of duckweed, shortened the root length and decreased the chlorophyll content. Compared with single Cd treatments, the combination of microplastics and Cd increased duckweed growth rate and increased superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdehyde content and reduced chloroplast structural damage, indicating that the combined stress could reduce the toxicity of heavy metals to duckweed. Through the study of rhizosphere microbial diversity, 1381 Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTUs) were identified and rich microbial communities were detected in the duckweed rhizosphere. Among them, the main microbial communities were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria. Compared with Cd single stress, the ACE and chao index of rhizosphere microbial community increased under combined stress, indicating that the diversity and abundance of microbial communities were improved after combined stress treatment. Our study revealed the effects of heavy metals and microplastics on aquatic plants, providing a theoretical basis for duckweed applications in complex water pollution.
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Researchers examined the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium on duckweed growth, photosynthesis, and antioxidant enzyme activity. The study found that microplastics at 50 mg/L caused the most severe growth inhibition and highest cadmium bioaccumulation in duckweed, while antioxidant enzymes showed complex dose-dependent responses suggesting that microplastics can alter heavy metal toxicity in aquatic plants.
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This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics promoted cadmium accumulation in duckweed roots while paradoxically reducing cadmium toxicity in the fronds, revealing tissue-specific differences in how nanoplastic co-exposure modifies metal toxicity in aquatic plants.
Microplastic modulates cadmium toxicity in duckweed: Insights into metal uptakes and oxidative stress in the plant
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Researchers found that microplastics in water reduced duckweed's uptake of toxic cadmium by adsorbing the metal onto plastic fibers and causing it to settle into sediments rather than enter plants. While this may seem protective, it highlights a troubling dual role: microplastics can redistribute heavy metals through aquatic systems in ways that affect long-term contamination patterns.
Combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-plant system: Phytotoxicity, Cd accumulation and microbial activity
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Researchers tested how different microplastic types combined with cadmium affect plant growth and soil health. Aged and biodegradable microplastics increased cadmium uptake in mustard greens more than fresh conventional plastics did. The study also found that microplastics altered soil microbial activity, suggesting that plastic pollution in farmland could change how plants absorb toxic metals from contaminated soil.
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Vallisneria natans grown in sediment with PVC microplastics and cadmium showed that MPs reduced plant fresh weight at all Cd levels tested, and the combination of MPs and cadmium was more inhibitory than cadmium alone — suggesting MPs do not reduce Cd toxicity and may worsen it.
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