Papers

Microplastic effects on soil nitrogen cycling enzymes: A global meta-analysis of environmental and edaphic factors

This large-scale meta-analysis of 147 studies found that microplastics in soil significantly increased urease and leucine aminopeptidase enzyme activities by about 8%, potentially disrupting nitrogen cycling. Biodegradable microplastics had more pronounced effects than conventional plastics, and responses depended on soil pH, polymer type, particle size, and concentration.

Global Meta-Analysis Integrated with Machine Learning Assesses Context-Dependent Microplastic Effects on Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon and Nitrogen

This global meta-analysis pooled data from 90 studies to examine how microplastics affect soil microbes. In lab settings, microplastics increased microbial biomass by about 10%, with biodegradable plastics having the strongest effects. Temperature was the most important factor influencing these changes. The results suggest microplastics are altering soil ecosystems in ways that could affect agriculture and carbon cycling.

Comparing the impact of microplastics derived from a biodegradable and a conventional plastic mulch on plant performance

Researchers directly compared how microplastics from biodegradable and conventional plastic mulch films affect plant growth and found that biodegradable plastic particles actually reduced plant biomass more than conventional plastic particles in some cases. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer for agriculture, since their breakdown products may still harm crops that end up in the human food supply.

Biodegradable microplastics induce profound changes in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) defense mechanisms and to some extent deteriorate growth traits

Researchers tested the effects of biodegradable plastic microplastics on lettuce growth and found that while the plants still grew, the microplastics caused significant stress at the cellular level. The plastic particles reduced chlorophyll content, triggered oxidative stress, and forced plants to activate their defense mechanisms, which affected their weight and nutrient content. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are harmless to crops and raises questions about food quality from microplastic-contaminated soil.

Conventional and biodegradable agricultural microplastics: effects on soil properties and microbial functions across a European pedoclimatic gradient

Researchers tested how microplastics from both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable mulching films affect soil health across experimental plots in Finland, Germany, and Spain. They found that both types of microplastics consistently reduced microbial activity related to nitrogen cycling, with effects becoming more pronounced over the second growing season. The study raises concerns because the concentrations tested are already environmentally relevant in European agricultural soils.

Effects of biodegradable microplastics on soil microbial communities and activities: Insight from an ecological mesocosm experiment

Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics made from starch-based materials affect soil microbial communities in a controlled ecosystem experiment over 11 weeks. They found that higher concentrations of these biodegradable particles actually increased the diversity of both bacteria and fungi in soil, while also boosting enzyme activity. The findings suggest that even so-called eco-friendly plastics can significantly alter soil microbial ecosystems, which could have broader consequences for soil health and nutrient cycling.

Bioremediation of contaminated soil and groundwater by in situ biostimulation

This review examines in situ biostimulation, a technique that encourages naturally occurring soil microbes to break down contaminants without excavating polluted soil. Researchers found that while many bioremediation methods show promise in lab settings, their success in real-world field conditions is highly variable. The study emphasizes that methods must be validated under site-specific conditions and that local expertise is essential for successful implementation.

Machine learning in marine ecology: an overview of techniques and applications

This overview examines how machine learning techniques are being applied across marine ecology, covering data types from satellite imagery and acoustics to underwater images and genomic data. Researchers built a database of roughly 1,000 publications to map which techniques work best for different marine research questions. The study highlights that growing data volumes and computing power are making machine learning an increasingly essential tool for understanding ocean ecosystems.

Highest risk abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear

Researchers ranked fishing gear types by their derelict gear risk scores — combining production rates, fishing intensity, and documented harm to wildlife — finding that gillnets, longlines, and fish traps posed the highest risks, and recommending these as priority targets for derelict gear retrieval programs.

Lolium multiflorum germination and growth affected by virgin, naturally, and artificially aged high-density polyethylene microplastic and leachates

Researchers found that virgin, naturally aged, and artificially aged high-density polyethylene microplastics and their leachates negatively affected Lolium multiflorum germination and growth, with aged microplastics and their chemical leachates showing greater phytotoxicity than virgin particles.

Nanoplastics are taken up by lettuce and barley under realistic soil condition

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics can be absorbed by lettuce and barley plants when grown in soil, even at low pollution levels similar to what's found in the environment. The plastic particles accumulated in the parts of the plants that people eat, showing a new way these pollutants could enter our food supply. While the amounts were small, this research reveals that nanoplastics from pollution can travel from soil into our crops, which could eventually affect human health.

Effects of a mixture of mulching film microplastics on soil properties, microbial activities, and plants in terrestrial mesocosms with and without earthworms

Researchers assessed the effects of a mixture of conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PBAT mulching film microplastics on soil ecosystems using terrestrial mesocosms. The study found that microplastics increased soil compaction and stimulated microbial respiration while reducing nitrogen cycling, and although plant growth appeared unaffected, biochemical analysis revealed oxidative stress responses in lettuce at the molecular level.

Species-dependent responses of crop plants to polystyrene microplastics

Researchers found that crop plant responses to polystyrene microplastics are species-dependent, with dicotyledonous plants like lettuce showing greater sensitivity than monocotyledonous species like barley and wheat across germination and growth endpoints.

Polystyrene nanoparticles induce concerted response of plant defense mechanisms in plant cells

Researchers exposed plant cell cultures from wheat, barley, carrot, and tomato to polystyrene nanoparticles and found that the plastic particles triggered oxidative stress responses across all species. The defense mechanisms activated varied by plant species, exposure duration, and nanoplastic concentration, with tomato cells appearing most susceptible to damage. The study demonstrates that nanoplastics can induce chain reactions in plant defense systems, raising concerns about the impact of plastic pollution on crop health.

Evidence synthesis of soil carbon dynamics: A multi-scale meta-analysis integrating land-use change, conservation practices, and environmental stressors

This multi-scale meta-analysis found that microplastic contamination enhanced nitrogen-cycling enzyme activities by 7-8% and altered soil organic carbon dynamics in polymer-specific patterns, alongside findings that grassland restoration increases soil carbon by 16% and no-tillage with residue retention boosts it by 13%. The results highlight microplastics as an emerging environmental stressor that interacts with land management practices to shape soil carbon storage.

Microplastic alteration in agricultural soils across Europe: Comparative study of MPs inside and outside soil aggregates over two years

Researchers tracked microplastic aging inside and outside soil aggregates in European agricultural soils over two years, comparing fields in multiple countries. Microplastics enclosed within aggregates showed less physicochemical aging than surface-exposed particles, suggesting that aggregate formation can temporarily protect plastics from degradation and prolong their persistence in soil.

Eutrophication effect on production and transfer of omega-3 fatty acids in boreal lake food webs

Researchers assessed how eutrophication affects the production and food web transfer of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) in boreal lakes, measuring fatty acid content across phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish in lakes of varying productivity. Eutrophication altered phytoplankton community composition in ways that affected the synthesis and availability of these nutritionally essential fatty acids to higher trophic levels.

Potential impacts of a future Nordic bioeconomy on surface water quality

This study assessed potential impacts of a future Nordic bioeconomy on surface water quality, examining how intensified land use for bio-based production could increase nutrient loading, pesticide use, and runoff contamination. It found that without careful management, the transition to a bio-based economy could worsen diffuse pollution in Nordic water bodies.

Comparative In Silico Structural Analysis of PHA Synthases from Industrially Prominent PHA Producers

This study used computational (in silico) methods to analyze the 3D structures of PHA synthase enzymes — the biological catalysts responsible for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates, a class of biodegradable bioplastics. By comparing enzyme structures across four bacterial genera, the researchers identified structural similarities and differences that could guide the engineering of more efficient bioplastic-producing microbes. While not directly about microplastic pollution, this work advances the development of biodegradable alternatives that could reduce plastic waste at the source.

Nutritional additives dominance in driving the bacterial communities succession and bioremediation of hydrocarbon and heavy metal contaminated soil microcosms

Researchers tested natural soil additives — meat and bone meal and cyclodextrin (a sugar-derived compound) — on soil contaminated with hydrocarbons and heavy metals, finding that cyclodextrin most effectively shifted bacterial communities toward pollution-degrading species, offering an eco-friendly approach to cleaning contaminated sites.

Conventional and biodegradable agricultural microplastics: Effects on soil decomposer animals and protists in three climate zones

A field experiment across three countries — Finland, Germany, and Spain — found that microplastics from common agricultural plastics harm soil invertebrates, with effects varying substantially by geography and climate. Enchytraeid worms showed the steepest declines (over 50%) in Finland and Spain, while earthworms responded differently to biodegradable versus conventional plastic depending on location. The findings warn that environmental risk assessments for agricultural microplastics cannot rely on laboratory results alone — local climate, soil type, and ecological context all shape the actual harm done to the organisms that keep soils healthy.

Microplastic accumulation in one-year freshwater ice: A four-year monitoring study reveals winter dynamics of microplastics

A four-year study of freshwater ice near Finnish urban areas found microplastic concentrations one to two orders of magnitude higher in ice than in the open surface water below, confirming that ice acts as a seasonal trap for microplastics. When ice and snow melt each spring, those concentrated microplastics flush into sediments and water bodies at once, creating a pulse of plastic pollution that is easy to overlook in warm-weather monitoring programs.

Effects of a mixture of mulching film microplastics on soil properties, microbial activities, and plants in terrestrial mesocosms with and without earthworms

Microplastic incorporation into soil aggregates: Insights from two-year field experiments in European agricultural topsoils

Researchers conducted two-year field experiments in European agricultural topsoils comparing microplastic incorporation into soil aggregates from biodegradable and conventional plastic mulch films, finding that soil properties and MP size and shape influence the degree of occlusion, with aggregate embedment potentially protecting MPs from further degradation.