Microplastic colonization by primary producers: a mesocosm experiment across a biogeographical gradient

Microplastic Uptake and Effects on Experimental Ecosystems

Microplastics in Plant Species: Impacts and Ecological Perspectives

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This analysis examined how microplastics affect plant physiology in terrestrial ecosystems, including uptake through roots, translocation into edible tissues, disruption of photosynthesis, and alteration of soil microbial communities that plants depend on. Because many staple crops can absorb and accumulate microplastics from contaminated soil and irrigation water, agricultural microplastic pollution translates directly into human dietary exposure through fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Plastic pollution interception by vegetation: A mechanistic review across diverse habitats

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Researchers reviewed nearly 199 studies and found that vegetated ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows capture 2 to 2.8 times more microplastics than non-vegetated areas through physical interception and biofilm-driven adhesion, but this trapping creates a sink-hazard paradox where concentrated plastics transform these habitats into toxic hotspots.

Insect Interactions with Microplastics Under Different Ecosystems

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This review examines how insects interact with microplastics across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, including ingestion, bioaccumulation, and trophic transfer to insectivorous predators. Insects are key links in food webs connecting environmental microplastic contamination to vertebrate animals and humans, making their role in microplastic transfer a critical and underappreciated exposure pathway.

Microplastics in Terrestrial Ecosystems

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This review assessed microplastic accumulation in terrestrial ecosystems — including agricultural soils, forests, and urban environments — documenting effects on soil structure, earthworm health, plant growth, and microbial diversity driven by decades of dramatic plastic production growth. Because terrestrial environments receive far more microplastic deposition than oceans yet are less studied, the soil contamination documented here directly threatens food production and represents a major underappreciated source of human dietary microplastic exposure through crops and soil-grown produce.