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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics Alter Growth and Reproduction Strategy of Scirpus mariqueter by Modifying Soil Nutrient Availability
ClearPolyethylene microplastics interfere with the nutrient cycle in water-plant-sediment systems
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect nutrient cycling in freshwater systems containing submerged plants and sediment. They found that the microplastics significantly reduced nitrogen and carbon content in plant leaves and disrupted the microbial communities in sediment responsible for nutrient processing. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can interfere with fundamental biogeochemical cycles that maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems.
The effects of microplastics on crop variation depend on polymer types and their interactions with soil nutrient availability and weed competition
Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics interact with soil nutrient availability and weed competition to affect crop growth. The study found that the effects of microplastics on plant performance depend on the polymer type and are modulated by fertilization levels and competition from weeds, suggesting that real-world agricultural impacts of microplastic pollution may be more complex than laboratory studies indicate.
Microplastic-contamination can reshape plant community by affecting soil properties
Researchers investigated how polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics affect naturally germinated plant communities by altering soil properties. The study found that microplastics changed soil nutrient availability, decreased community stability, and shifted plant species composition, with total phosphorus identified as the strongest driver of changes in plant community structure.
Microplastic residues in wetland ecosystems: Do they truly threaten the plant-microbe-soil system?
Researchers used a controlled pot experiment to assess microplastic effects on wetland plant growth, soil microbial communities, and nutrient cycling, finding that MPs altered soil enzyme activity and shifted bacterial community composition but had variable effects on plant growth depending on plastic type.
Effects of soil microplastic heterogeneity on plant growth vary with species and microplastic types
Researchers tested how the uneven distribution of microplastics in soil affects the growth and root foraging behavior of seven herbaceous plant species. They found that plant responses to microplastic heterogeneity varied significantly depending on both the plant species and the type of microplastic present. The study suggests that the patchy nature of real-world soil microplastic contamination may affect plant communities in more complex ways than uniform exposure experiments indicate.
Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance
Researchers tested six different types of microplastics in soil and found that they altered key soil properties including water-holding capacity, bulk density, and microbial activity. These changes in soil structure had cascading effects on plant growth, with some microplastic types reducing above-ground biomass. The study demonstrates that microplastics can fundamentally change how soil functions, with consequences for plant health and ecosystem stability.
Increasing soil microplastic diversity decreases community biomass via its impact on the most dominant species
Researchers experimentally mixed different numbers and types of microplastics into soil hosting six plant species, finding that greater variety of microplastic types in the soil reduced total plant biomass — mainly by suppressing the growth of the dominant grass species. The results suggest that real-world environments contaminated with multiple types of microplastics may suffer greater ecological harm than studies using a single plastic type would predict.
Microplastic shape, concentration and polymer type affect soil properties and plant biomass
Experiments showed that microplastic shape, concentration, and polymer type all influence soil physical properties and plant biomass, with certain types reducing plant growth. The findings highlight that the wide variety of plastic particle types entering soils creates complex and variable ecological risks.
Legacy effect of microplastics on plant–soil feedbacks
Researchers examined the legacy effects of microplastic contamination on plant-soil feedbacks using soil previously conditioned with various microplastic types, finding that residual microplastics altered soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling in ways that affected subsequent plant growth.
Growth of grasses and forbs, nutrient concentration, and microbial activity in soil treated with microbeads
Researchers found that polyethylene and polystyrene microbeads in soil reduced plant biomass, altered microbial enzyme activity, and decreased nitrogen content, suggesting microplastics disrupt soil ecosystem functions across multiple nutrient cycling pathways.
Uncovering the intricate relationship between plant nutrients and microplastics in agroecosystems
A study of wheat grown in soils with varying microplastic levels found complex interactions between MPs and plant macronutrients and micronutrients, with MPs altering nutrient uptake in ways that could affect crop productivity in contaminated agricultural soils.
Reeds (Phragmites australis) modulate the impacts of microplastics on carbon and nitrogen metabolisms in wetland soil
Researchers investigated how polypropylene microplastics at two concentrations differentially affected soil carbon and nitrogen metabolic processes in wetland soils in the presence and absence of reeds (Phragmites australis). They found that the plant-microbe-microplastic interaction produced contrasting effects: in planted soils, microplastics enhanced the reductive citrate cycle and suppressed denitrification gene abundance, while these effects were absent in unplanted soils.
Nitrogen deposition modulates invasibility and stability of plant communities in microplastic-contaminated wetlands
A greenhouse experiment found that polyethylene microplastics combined with nitrogen deposition reduced morphological traits of invaded wetland plant communities, altering competitive dynamics between invasive and native plants.
Short-term effects of polyethene and polypropylene microplastics on soil phosphorus and nitrogen availability
Researchers examined the short-term effects of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics on soil nutrient cycling, finding that these particles can alter the availability of phosphorus and nitrogen depending on microplastic size and fertilization conditions.
Microplastic effects on plants
This perspective paper proposed mechanistic pathways through which microplastics could affect plant growth positively or negatively, including effects on soil structure, water availability, nutrient cycling, and root-microbe interactions. The authors argue that plant species and plastic type will determine the direction of effects, and call for dedicated research to fill a major gap in terrestrial microplastic science.
Polymer type more strongly than concentration drives root responses to microplastics: root biomass–efficiency trade-offs and biogeochemical risks in coastal wetlands
Researchers used mesocosm experiments in coastal wetlands to determine whether microplastic polymer type or concentration more strongly drives root biomass and biogeochemical responses in wetland plants. They found that polymer type exerted stronger effects than concentration on root biomass-efficiency trade-offs, with implications for how risk assessments for coastal wetland ecosystems should be designed.
Effects of plastic fragments on plant performance are mediated by soil properties and drought
Researchers found that plastic fragments reduced soil water content and negatively affected Arabidopsis thaliana growth, with effects most pronounced under drought conditions and dependent on soil texture, suggesting plastic pollution and water stress interact to compound harm to plants.
Can microplastics mediate soil properties, plant growth and carbon/nitrogen turnover in the terrestrial ecosystem?
This review assessed evidence for microplastic effects on soil properties, plant growth, and carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics were found to alter soil structure, water retention, microbial activity, and nutrient cycling, with cascading effects on plant growth and soil organic matter turnover.
[Response of Water-Vallisneria natans-Sediment System to Polyethylene Microplastics].
This study examined how polyethylene microplastics affect the water-Vallisneria natans-sediment system, finding that microplastic exposure alters aquatic plant physiology, sediment microbial activity, and nutrient cycling dynamics.
Polyethylene Microplastic Particles Alter the Nature, Bacterial Community and Metabolite Profile of Reed Rhizosphere Soils
Researchers found that polyethylene microplastic particles alter the bacterial community composition, soil environmental factors, and metabolite profiles of reed rhizosphere soils, with effects increasing at higher microplastic concentrations and showing distinct interactions with reed biomass.
The more microplastic types pollute the soil, the stronger the growth suppression of invasive alien and native plants
Researchers grew 16 plant species in soil contaminated with varying numbers of microplastic types and found that plant growth declined more as the diversity of microplastics increased. Invasive species were particularly affected, losing their typical growth advantage over native plants when exposed to multiple microplastic types. The study suggests that real-world soil contamination, which typically involves a mix of different plastics, may suppress plant growth more than single-plastic experiments have shown.
Ecotoxicological effects of plastics on plants, soil fauna and microorganisms: A meta-analysis
Meta-analysis of 2,936 observations from 140 studies found that plastics caused substantial detrimental effects to plants and soil fauna, but had less impact on microbial diversity. Larger plastics (>1 um) impaired plant growth and germination while nanoplastics primarily increased oxidative stress, and soil fauna reproduction and survival were more adversely affected by smaller particles.
Microplastics affect C, N, and P cycling in natural environments: Highlighting the driver of soil hydraulic properties
This study found that common microplastics like polyethylene and polypropylene significantly change how soil handles water and nutrients by increasing water content, reducing soil density, and altering bacterial communities involved in nitrogen and carbon cycling. These changes affected how nutrients are stored in soil, with increases of 12 to 93 percent in nitrogen and carbon storage depending on the plastic type and amount. The findings suggest microplastic pollution could disrupt the fundamental soil processes that support food production.
The effects of polypropylene microplastics on the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from water by Acorus calamus, Iris tectorum and functional microorganisms
Researchers investigated how polypropylene microplastics affect the ability of aquatic plants and their associated microorganisms to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from water. They found that microplastic stress reduced the nutrient absorption capacity of the plants and altered the microbial communities responsible for nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may undermine the effectiveness of wetland-based water purification systems.