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Evolutionary implications of microplastics for soil biota
Summary
This perspective paper examines how microplastic pollution in soils may drive evolutionary changes in soil organisms by acting as a persistent novel selection pressure, potentially altering life history traits, stress tolerance, and community composition over generations. The authors call for long-term evolutionary studies to understand how soil biota adapt to microplastic contamination.
Microplastic pollution is increasingly considered to be a factor of global change: in addition to aquatic ecosystems, this persistent contaminant is also found in terrestrial systems and soils. Microplastics have been chiefly examined in soils in terms of the presence and potential effects on soil biota. Given the persistence and widespread distribution of microplastics, it is also important to consider potential evolutionary implications of the presence of microplastics in soil; we offer such a perspective for soil microbiota. We discuss the range of selection pressures likely to act upon soil microbes, highlight approaches for the study of evolutionary responses to microplastics, and present the obstacles to be overcome. Pondering the evolutionary consequences of microplastics in soils can yield new insights into the effects of this group of pollutants, including establishing 'true' baselines in soil ecology, and understanding future responses of soil microbial populations and communities.