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Microplastic effects on plants
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This perspective paper proposed mechanistic pathways through which microplastics could affect plant growth positively or negatively, including effects on soil structure, water availability, nutrient cycling, and root-microbe interactions. The authors argue that plant species and plastic type will determine the direction of effects, and call for dedicated research to fill a major gap in terrestrial microplastic science.
Microplastic effects in terrestrial ecosystems have recently moved into focus, after about a decade of research being limited to aquatic systems. While effects on soil physical properties and soil biota are starting to become apparent, there is not much information on the consequences for plant performance. We here propose and discuss mechanistic pathways through which microplastics could impact plant growth, either positively or negatively. These effects will vary as a function of plant species, and plastic type, and thus are likely to translate to changes in plant community composition and perhaps primary production. Our mechanistic framework serves to guide ongoing and future research on this important topic.
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Can microplastics mediate soil properties, plant growth and carbon/nitrogen turnover in the terrestrial ecosystem?
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This review assessed evidence for microplastic effects on soil properties, plant growth, and carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics were found to alter soil structure, water retention, microbial activity, and nutrient cycling, with cascading effects on plant growth and soil organic matter turnover.
Microplastics in Soil–Plant Systems: Current Knowledge, Research Gaps, and Future Directions for Agricultural Sustainability
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This review summarizes current knowledge about how microplastics affect agricultural soils and the plants growing in them, including changes to soil structure, nutrient availability, and root zone biology. Understanding how microplastics move through the soil-plant system is critical because contaminated crops are a major pathway for these particles to reach the human diet.
Impact of microplastics on terrestrial ecosystems: A plant-centric perspective
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This review focuses on how microplastics affect plants and soil health in agricultural settings, an area that has received less attention than marine microplastic pollution. The researchers describe how microplastics can alter soil structure, disrupt microbial communities, and enter plant tissues through unique transport mechanisms. The study highlights that agricultural soils are a major sink for microplastics, with potential consequences for food safety and crop productivity.
Microplastics in soil—uptake, fate, transport, and effect on the growth of plants
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This review examines the mechanisms by which microplastics enter soil through agricultural practices, climate events, and soil organism activity, and summarizes current evidence on plant uptake -- driven primarily by transpiration pull -- and translocation of plastic particles through plant tissues. The authors identify significant knowledge gaps regarding long-term soil microplastic behavior and ecological effects on plant growth and nutritional quality.
Microplastics in terrestrial environments: Reviewing current understanding to determine the positive and negative aspects of soil
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This review examines microplastics in terrestrial soils, covering their sources, distribution, and effects on soil health and organisms. It finds both negative impacts on soil function and organisms, as well as some neutral or context-dependent effects, and identifies key areas for future research.
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.