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Microplastic fiber and drought effects on plants and soil are only slightly modified by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
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Researchers grew onions in soil contaminated with polyester microfibers under normal and drought conditions, finding that microfibers actually boosted plant growth and encouraged beneficial root fungi (mycorrhizae), but still degraded soil structure regardless. The results suggest microplastic fibers can subtly reshape plant-soil systems in ways not always visible at the surface.
Abstract Microplastics are increasingly recognized as a factor of global change. By altering soil inherent properties and processes, ripple-on effects on plants and their symbionts can be expected. Additionally, interactions with other factors of global change, such as drought, can influence the effect of microplastics. We designed a greenhouse study to examine effects of polyester microfibers, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and drought on plant, microbial and soil responses. We found that polyester microfibers increased the aboveground biomass of Allium cepa under well-watered and drought conditions, but under drought conditions the AM fungal-only treatment reached the highest biomass. Colonization with AM fungi increased under microfiber contamination, however, plant biomass did not increase when both AM fungi and fibers were present. The mean weight diameter of soil aggregates increased with AM fungal inoculation overall but decreased when the system was contaminated with microfibers or drought stressed. Our study adds additional support to the mounting evidence that microplastic fibers in soil can affect the plant-soil system by promoting plant growth, and favoring key root symbionts, AM fungi. Although soil aggregation is usually positively influenced by plant roots and AM fungi, and microplastic promotes both, our results show that plastic still had a negative effect on soil aggregates. Even though there are concerns that microplastic might interact with other factors of global change, our study revealed no such effect for drought.
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Researchers found that microplastic fibers affect soil fungal communities differently depending on whether the soil is well-watered or drought-stressed. Under normal moisture, microplastics reduced fungal diversity, but during drought they actually increased fungal richness, suggesting that the environmental impact of microplastics on soil ecosystems depends heavily on climate conditions.
What Is the Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Mitigating the Effects of Microplastics?
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This review summarizes 29 studies on soil fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which form partnerships with plant roots. Most studies found AMF helped plants cope with microplastic pollution in soil by improving growth, nutrient uptake, and soil structure, though the authors note more research is needed on long-term effects.
Nitrogen fertilization and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi do not mitigate the adverse effects of soil contamination with polypropylene microfibers on maize growth
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Researchers tested whether adding nitrogen fertilizer or beneficial soil fungi could offset the negative effects of polypropylene microfibers on maize plants. They found that neither nitrogen supplementation nor mycorrhizal fungi helped the plants overcome the growth reductions caused by microplastic contamination. The study suggests that microplastics harm crops through mechanisms beyond simple nutrient limitation, and that conventional farming practices may not be sufficient to counteract microplastic damage to soil health.
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