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Microplastics enhance soil nitrogen availability by stimulating nitrogen-acquiring enzyme activity over three decades-long fertilization regimes
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Microplastics disrupt the nitrogen-fixing bacterial community with consequences for plant growth
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Tiny plastic fibers in soil can mess with the helpful bacteria that plants rely on to pull nitrogen from the air, a process crucial for healthy growth, but the effects depend on the type of plastic, with some helping and others hurting root growth or the bacterial partnerships plants need. This matters because as plastic pollution builds up in farmland, it could quietly disrupt the natural systems that keep our food crops fed and healthy, even before we fully understand the ripple effects on the food we eat.
Microplastics Change Soil Nutrient Availability, Microbial Properties, and Ecosystem Multifunctionality of a Red Soil
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A two-month incubation experiment found that polyethylene and PVC microplastics disrupt soil nutrient availability, microbial communities, and overall ecosystem function in red soil, with effects varying by plastic type, size, and dose. Soil microplastic contamination threatens agricultural productivity by undermining the microbial processes that keep soils fertile.
Microplastics affect activity and spatial distribution of C, N, and P hydrolases in rice rhizosphere
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Researchers applied zymography to show that polyethylene and PVC microplastics at varying soil concentrations alter the spatial distribution and activity of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus hydrolases in rice paddy rhizospheres, increasing above-ground biomass while reducing soil nutrient availability. These soil enzyme disruptions indicate that microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils can alter nutrient cycling in ways that may affect crop nutrition and the safety of food grown in contaminated fields.
Microplastics Alter Dehydrogenase, Urease, and Cellulase Activities in Soil
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Laboratory experiments demonstrated that low-density polyethylene, polystyrene, and nylon microplastics alter the activity of key soil enzymes—dehydrogenase, urease, and cellulase—in ways that vary by polymer type, concentration, and exposure duration. Disruption of these enzymes undermines essential soil functions like nitrogen cycling and organic matter decomposition, threatening agricultural productivity and highlighting broader ecosystem risks of microplastic accumulation in farmland soils.
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