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Impact of the Virgin and Aged Polystyrene and Polypropylene Microfibers on the Soil Enzyme Activity and the Microbial Community Structure
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Researchers found that UV-aged polypropylene and polystyrene microfibers are more damaging to soil health than fresh microplastics, suppressing beneficial enzyme activity and shifting microbial communities — suggesting that weathered plastic in the environment poses a growing threat to soil ecosystems.
In this study, we focused on investigating the plastic microfibers and how their aging due to UV irradiation could be further aggravating their negative effects on the environment. Hence, we examined the microfibers of polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) as model microplastics to observe the induced surface changes caused by aging through UV irradiation when the plastic is discarded in the environment. We also observed the enzymatic activity and microbial community changes in the soil when microplastics are added. Increases in the stretching vibrations of the –OH and C=O groups in the aged microplastic samples were observed using the attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, confirming photo-oxidation on the microplastic surface. The soil enzyme activity was significantly reduced with the addition of virgin PP and PS, with a further reduction when adding aged PP and PS. Furthermore, the comparison of the microbial community analysis results before and after aging indicated that a slight decrease in Alphaproteobacteria and an increase in Betaproteobacteria were at the class level. Overall, the findings of this study can be used to understand the functional changes in the soil environment as a result of microplastic accumulation.
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Microplastics in Soils and Sediment: Sources, Methodologies, and Interactions with Microorganisms
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Microplastics in soils and sediments interact with microorganisms in complex ways, affecting microbial community structure and facilitating the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. These interactions highlight that microplastic pollution poses ecological risks beyond physical contamination, potentially disrupting soil health and agricultural systems.
Microplastics in Soils and Sediment: Sources, Methodologies, and Interactions with Microorganisms
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Researchers reviewed the sources, measurement methods, and ecological interactions of microplastics in soils and sediments, highlighting that terrestrial plastic pollution is substantial and poorly understood, and that microplastics in soil can affect microbial communities in ways that may ripple through food webs and nutrient cycles.
Microplastics in Soil Ecosystem: Insight on Its Fate and Impacts on Soil Quality
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Researchers examined how plastic film used widely in Chinese agriculture breaks down and accumulates in soil, finding that microplastic debris may degrade soil quality and crop health over time, with potential ripple effects for food safety and agricultural sustainability.
Effects of Conventional and Biodegradable Microplastics on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microorganisms
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A four-month soil incubation experiment compared conventional polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, finding both alter soil organic carbon, nitrogen availability, enzyme activity, and microbial community composition — with PLA causing distinct effects due to its degradability. The finding that biodegradable plastics still significantly disrupt soil microbiology challenges assumptions about their environmental safety and suggests replacing conventional plastics with PLA does not eliminate ecological harm.
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.