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Assessment of the Effects of Biodegradable and NonbiodegradableMicroplastics Combined with Pesticides on the Soil Microbiota
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This study investigated how biodegradable (PLA) and non-biodegradable (PET) microplastics interact with glyphosate and imidacloprid pesticides in soil, finding that PLA increased microbial diversity while both microplastic types amplified the spread of antibiotic resistance genes when combined with pesticides.
Microplastics (MPs) and pesticides pose significant threats to the health of soil ecosystems. This study investigated the individual and combined effects of biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) and nonbiodegradable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics alongside glyphosate and imidacloprid pesticides on soil microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) via microcosm experiments. Compared with the control, PLA significantly increased microbial alpha diversity and enhanced microbial functions related to environmental information processing and metabolism. However, PLA also selectively enriched populations of beneficial and potentially pathogenic bacteria, whereas PET had comparatively weaker effects. Crucially, PLA exposure resulted in substantially higher total abundance and ecological risk levels of soil ARGs than did PET. Coexposure with pesticides further amplified these effects, with PLA demonstrating notable synergistic interactions with both glyphosate and imidacloprid. These findings challenge the conventional assumption that biodegradable MPs such as PLA are environmentally safer than nonbiodegradable MPs, thus highlighting their potential to induce more complex and potentially severe ecological risks under co-contamination scenarios with pesticides.
More Papers Like This
Assessment of the Effects of Biodegradable and Nonbiodegradable Microplastics Combined with Pesticides on the Soil Microbiota
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This study compared how biodegradable PLA and conventional PET microplastics, combined with common pesticides, affect soil microbial communities. Researchers found that PLA microplastics significantly increased microbial diversity but also enriched potentially harmful bacteria and elevated antibiotic resistance gene abundance more than PET, suggesting biodegradable plastics may pose underappreciated ecological risks in agricultural soils.
The combination of microplastics and glyphosate affects the microbiome of soil inhabitant Enchytraeus crypticus
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Researchers tested how microplastics and the common herbicide glyphosate affect soil health when present together. Biodegradable PLA plastic combined with glyphosate had the most damaging effects on both soil bacteria and the gut microbiome of soil worms, worse than conventional PET plastic. These results suggest that using biodegradable plastics alongside pesticides in agriculture may pose greater ecological risks than previously thought.
Potential environmental risks of field bio/non-degradable microplastic from mulching residues in farmland: Evidence from metagenomic analysis of plastisphere
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Researchers analyzed the microbes living on biodegradable and conventional plastic mulch fragments in farm soil and found that both types harbored antibiotic resistance genes and disease-causing bacteria, including human pathogens. Surprisingly, the biodegradable plastic (PBAT/PLA) had a higher diversity and abundance of resistance genes than conventional polyethylene. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer and raises concerns about antibiotic resistance spreading from farm microplastics.
Biodegradable microplastics exacerbate the risk of antibiotic resistance genes pollution in agricultural soils
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This study found that biodegradable plastics (PLA and PBAT), often promoted as eco-friendly alternatives, actually increased antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural soil more than conventional plastics like polyethylene. The biodegradable plastics promoted the growth of bacteria that carry resistance genes and enhanced the ability of these genes to spread between organisms. These findings challenge the assumption that switching to biodegradable plastics will reduce environmental and health risks in farming.
Co-existence of polyethylene microplastics and tetracycline on soil microbial community and ARGs
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This study examined how polyethylene microplastics and the antibiotic tetracycline interact in soil. When present together, they altered soil microbial communities and increased the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes more than either contaminant alone. The findings raise concerns that microplastics in agricultural soil may worsen the spread of antibiotic resistance, a growing public health challenge.
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