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Plant presence fundamentally alters soil microbial and biogeochemical responses to polylactic acid microplastics: Evidence from unplanted vs. maize-planted microcosms
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This study investigated microplastic transport and redistribution in deep-sea sediment systems, examining how particle characteristics and ocean current dynamics influence deposition patterns. The findings reveal that deep-sea environments accumulate microplastics from distant surface sources, with long-term implications for benthic ecosystem health.
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Distinct Influence of Conventional and Biodegradable Microplastics on Soil Microorganisms and Nitrogen Cycling: Emphasizing the Effect of Biodegradable Polylactic Acid
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A one-month soil experiment comparing polyethylene, PVC, and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics found that smaller particles and PLA had the greatest disruptive effects on bacterial diversity, nitrogen cycling, and enzyme activity, inhibiting nitrification while enhancing denitrification. The finding that biodegradable plastics can be equally or more disruptive to soil microbiomes than conventional plastics complicates assumptions that they represent a safe environmental alternative.
Effect of Polycaprolactone Microplastics on Soil Microbial Communities and Plant Growth
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Researchers tested three concentrations of polycaprolactone biodegradable microplastics in soil and found minimal effects on microbial community structure and plant growth in oilseed rape and lettuce, though temporary reductions in antioxidant enzyme activity and soluble protein were observed.
Microplastics in soil-plant system: effects of nano/microplastics on plant photosynthesis, rhizosphere microbes and soil properties in soil with different residues
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Polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics altered soil dissolved organic matter, disrupted rhizosphere microbial communities, and affected plant photosynthesis in Chinese cabbage, with effects varying by plastic particle size and soil amendment type. These findings reveal that microplastic contamination can cascade through soil microbiomes to impair crop growth, raising concerns for agricultural productivity and food system safety.
Impact of microplastics on soil (physical and chemical) properties, soil biological properties/soil biota, and response of plants to it: a review
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This comprehensive review synthesizes evidence that microplastics alter soil physical structure, chemical properties including pH and nutrient cycling, and the communities of earthworms, collembolans, and microbes that maintain soil health, with cascading effects on plant growth and agricultural productivity. Because healthy soils underpin global food production, microplastic-driven degradation of soil ecosystems represents a long-term threat to food security and introduces a terrestrial route by which plastic contaminants accumulate in crops consumed by humans.
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