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Microplastics and Their Effects on Soil Function as a Life-Supporting System
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Microplastics alter essential soil functions by changing soil structure, water retention, microbial communities, and nutrient cycling in ways that threaten the life-supporting capacity of agricultural and natural soils. As terrestrial microplastic contamination continues to grow — exceeding ocean concentrations in many regions — the long-term health of soil ecosystems and food production is at risk.
Particles play important roles in terrestrial systems, where the natural soil environment provides a complex habitat in which the three-dimensional organization of mineral and organic matter is combined to a diverse array of water levels, microscopic life forms, and...
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Microplastic Pollution in Terrestrial Systems: Sources and Implications for Soil Functioning and Plant Performance
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics enter terrestrial ecosystems through atmospheric deposition, irrigation, and agricultural mulching and found they reduce soil moisture, disrupt microbial communities, impair nutrient cycling, and harm earthworms — collectively threatening soil health and plant performance in agricultural and natural systems.
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.
Microplastic in Soil Ecosystem: Transition and Ecological Impacts
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This review examined how microplastics transition through soil ecosystems, alter soil structure, affect microbial communities, and impact plant health and agricultural productivity. Soil microplastic contamination is a growing threat to food security because it degrades the biological systems that underpin crop growth while simultaneously introducing chemical additives into the root zone where they can be taken up by edible plants.
Impact of Microplastic Pollution on Soil Health
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Researchers review how microplastics enter agricultural soils from plastic mulch films, sewage sludge, and irrigation water, documenting their effects on soil microbial communities, nutrient cycling, and overall soil health in ways that may threaten long-term agricultural productivity.
Microplastics in Soil: Unveiling the Threat Within the Earth’s Crucial Ecosystem
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Researchers surveyed the sources, ecological impacts, and remediation strategies for microplastic contamination in soil, revealing that agricultural practices, plastic mulch, sewage sludge application, and atmospheric deposition are primary pathways loading microplastics into terrestrial ecosystems. Soil microplastics threaten plant health, soil microbiome function, and food security while serving as a vector carrying toxic additives and pathogens up the food chain to humans.
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