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Rhizosphere Keystone Microbiomes Promote Invasive Plant Growth under PLA and PVC Microplastic Stress: A Comparative Study with Native Species
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Researchers compared how invasive and native plant species respond to soil contaminated with biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics. Invasive plants experienced less growth inhibition and selectively enriched beneficial bacteria in their root zones, forming more stable microbial networks. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in soils may inadvertently give invasive species a competitive advantage over native plants.
Global ecosystems are increasingly threatened by the synergistic pressures of invasive plant species and soil microplastic contamination, yet the mechanisms by which microplastics enhance invasive species establishment remain unclear. In this study, we employ a mesocosm experiment using two types of microplastics, biodegradable polylactide (PLA), and nonbiodegradable polyvinyl chloride (PVC), to compare the responses of invasive and native plant species. We measured plant biomass, nutrient fluxes, soil enzyme activities, and microbial communities in the rhizosphere using soil zymography and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Invasive plants experienced less growth inhibition than native plants under microplastic exposure, accompanied by the selective enrichment of bacterial genera in the rhizosphere such as Arthrobacter, Sphingomonas, Microvirga, and Azospirillum. These microbes were associated with more interconnected and stable microbial networks, which may have enhanced invasive plant tolerance to microplastic-induced stress. Our results suggest that microplastics can reshape rhizosphere microbial communities in ways that have profound implications for ecological restoration and invasive species management. Future research should experimentally validate the functional roles of these enriched microbial taxa in promoting plant resilience under environmental stress.
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RhizosphereKeystoneMicrobiomes Promote InvasivePlant Growth under PLA and PVC Microplastic Stress: A ComparativeStudy with Native Species
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A mesocosm experiment compared the growth responses of invasive and native plant species to PLA (biodegradable) and PVC (conventional) microplastics in soil. Invasive plants outperformed native species under MP stress partly due to shifts in rhizosphere keystone microbiomes, suggesting microplastics may amplify invasion success.
Rhizospheric bacterial communities against microplastics (MPs): Novel ecological strategies based on the niche differentiation
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Researchers studied how bacterial communities living around plant roots adapt when exposed to microplastics in soil. They found that rhizosphere bacteria developed distinct survival strategies depending on their ecological niche, with some species thriving while others declined in the presence of plastics. The study reveals that microplastics can reshape the microbial communities that plants depend on for nutrient uptake and disease resistance.
Microplastics amplify the invasive potential of Flavidium bidentis in invaded communities
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Researchers examined how microplastics affect the competitive interactions and invasive potential of Flavidium bidentis in native plant communities, measuring growth traits and interspecific relationships across microplastic exposure treatments. Results indicated that microplastics amplified the invasive advantage of F. bidentis over native species, raising concern that widespread soil microplastic contamination may accelerate plant invasions.
Microplastics enhance the invasion of exotic submerged macrophytes by mediating plant functional traits, sediment properties, and microbial communities
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This study found that polystyrene microplastics in water helped invasive aquatic plants grow stronger and spread more effectively, while native plants were not similarly boosted. The microplastics changed soil chemistry and disrupted bacterial communities in ways that specifically favored the invasive species. This research shows that microplastic pollution could accelerate the spread of invasive plants in lakes and rivers, further threatening aquatic ecosystem health.
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