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

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.

Microplastic Uptake and Effects on Experimental Ecosystems

Uptake of Microplastics and Their Effects on Plants

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Researchers reviewed accumulating evidence on microplastic uptake by terrestrial plants, finding that particles smaller than 200 nm can enter root cells and translocate to shoots, potentially disrupting photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and growth while opening a pathway for microplastics to enter the human food chain through crops.

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.

Alkaline extraction yields a higher number of microplastics in forest canopy leaves: implication for microplastic storage

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A study of oak leaves in a Tokyo forest found that alkaline extraction with potassium hydroxide recovered significantly more embedded airborne microplastics than water washing or sonication alone, revealing that standard methods undercount MP loading on leaves. Forest canopy leaves may act as long-term sinks for airborne microplastics rather than temporary accumulators, meaning terrestrial vegetation plays a larger role in the atmospheric plastic cycle than previously recognized.