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Legacy effect of microplastics on plant-soil feedbacks
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This study examined the legacy effects of 12 different microplastic types on plant-soil feedbacks using soil from a prior conditioning experiment. Results showed that prior microplastic contamination altered plant-soil interactions, suggesting that long-term microplastic presence can reshape soil ecology and plant performance.
Abstract Microplastics are a complex contaminant suite that are now understood to affect plants and soil biota and the processes they drive. However, the role of microplastic in plant-soil feedbacks, a key feature in plant-soil interactions, is still unknown. We address this here, using soil from a previous experiment, which has been conditioned with 12 different microplastic types including fibers, films, foams, and fragments. To evaluate the feedback effect, we grew a native and a range-expanding plant species with inocula extracted from each one of these soils. At harvest, plant biomass and root morphological traits were measured. Films gave rise to a positive feedback on shoot mass (higher mass with soil inocula conditioned with microplastics than without), likely via negative effects on harmful soil biota. Foams and fragments also caused positive feedback on shoot mass likely via effects on enzymatic activities and mutualistic soil biota. Fibers led to negative feedback on root mass as they may promote the abundance of soil pathogens. Microplastics also have a legacy effect on root traits: Daucus had thicker roots probably for promoting mycorrhizal associations while Calamagrostis had reduced root diameter probably for diminishing pathogenic infection. Microplastic legacy on plants is species-specific and may affect plant biomass primarily via root traits. Microplastics, as a function of their shape and polymer type, have a feedback effect on plant performance.
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