Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics InfluenceDissolved Organic Matter TransformationMediated by Microbiomes in Soil Aggregates

A 450-day incubation study found that microplastics altered dissolved organic matter (DOM) transformation in soil aggregates by disrupting microbiome composition and activity, with effects differing between macro- and micro-aggregate fractions.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Influence Dissolved Organic Matter Transformation Mediated by Microbiomes in Soil Aggregates

Researchers conducted a 450-day experiment to study how microplastics alter the transformation of dissolved organic matter within soil aggregates, a process critical for soil stability and fertility. They found that microplastics destabilized organic matter in larger soil clumps while increasing its chemical complexity in smaller ones, with biodegradable plastics having the strongest effects. These changes were driven by shifts in microbial communities, suggesting that microplastic pollution could fundamentally alter how carbon cycles through agricultural soils.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic coupled with soil dissolved organic matter mediated changes in the soil chemical and microbial characteristics

Researchers conducted a two-month incubation experiment to study how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect soil carbon composition and microbial communities. They found that microplastics altered the dissolved organic matter in soil and shifted how microbial communities utilized carbon sources. The study suggests that microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils may have cascading effects on soil health and nutrient cycling.

2024 Chemosphere 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Can Inhibit Organic Carbon Mineralization by Influencing Soil Aggregate Distribution and Microbial Community Structure in Cultivated Soil: Evidence from a One-Year Pot Experiment

Researchers conducted a one-year pot experiment to study how different types and concentrations of microplastics affect soil carbon cycling and aggregate stability. They found that microplastics significantly altered soil aggregate size distribution and decreased organic carbon mineralization rates regardless of polymer type. The study suggests that microplastic contamination may slow the natural breakdown of organic carbon in agricultural soils by changing soil structure and microbial communities.

2024 Agronomy 18 citations
Article Tier 2

MicrobialPhysiologicalAdaptation to BiodegradableMicroplastics Drives the Transformation and Reactivity of DissolvedOrganic Matter in Soil

Researchers added virgin and aged polylactic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoate microplastics to agricultural soils and found that microbial physiological adaptation to biodegradable plastics significantly altered the transformation and reactivity of dissolved organic matter over a 56-day incubation period.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Comparing the long-term responses of soil microbial structures and diversities to polyethylene microplastics in different aggregate fractions

Long-term soil incubation with polyethylene microplastics found that MPs altered aggregate stability, inhibited soil enzyme activities, and changed microbial community structure and diversity differently across soil aggregate size fractions, with effects persisting over time.

2021 Environment International 248 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Microplastic effects on soil system parameters: a meta-analysis study

Microplastics in soil did not significantly affect dissolved organic carbon, nutrient availability, microbial diversity, or crop biomass, but they did significantly increase soil microorganism abundance and decrease water-stable macro-aggregates, pointing to soil structure degradation as the primary concern.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter Regulates Soil Carbon Respiration via Microbial Ecophysiological Controls

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released by microplastics affects the way soil microbes process carbon. They found that compounds leaching from both new and aged microplastics stimulated soil carbon release, with aged microplastics having a larger effect by altering microbial community structure. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution may influence soil carbon cycling and potentially affect how effectively soils store carbon.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Diverse Impacts of Microplastic-derived Dissolved Organic Matter at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations on Soil Dissolved Organic Matter Transformation

Researchers examined how dissolved organic matter leached from biodegradable and conventional agricultural mulch microplastics affects soil chemistry at environmentally realistic concentrations. They found that UV-exposed microplastic leachates were more bioavailable and caused greater changes to soil organic matter than those produced in dark conditions. The study suggests that even at low concentrations, microplastic-derived compounds can meaningfully alter soil carbon dynamics, with effects varying by soil type.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Diverse Impactsof Microplastic-derived DissolvedOrganic Matter at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations on SoilDissolved Organic Matter Transformation

Researchers examined how dissolved organic matter derived from agricultural microplastic mulches affects soil DOM transformation in yellow and black soils at environmentally relevant concentrations. They found that microplastic-derived DOM altered soil DOM dynamics in ways that could affect nutrient cycling and soil ecosystem function even at low, realistic exposure levels.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Effects on Soil Aggregation in Sterilized and Non‐Sterilized Soils

Researchers tested how microplastics affect soil aggregation in both sterilized and biologically active soils, finding that microplastic effects on aggregate stability were strongly mediated by the presence of soil microorganisms. Biologically active soils showed different responses than sterile soils, highlighting the role of the soil microbiome.

2024 Land Degradation and Development
Article Tier 2

Microplastic effects on soil organic matter dynamics and bacterial communities under contrasting soil environments

Researchers compared microplastic effects on soil organic matter dynamics and bacterial communities across contrasting soil environments, finding that the type of microplastic polymer and soil conditions together determine whether microbial activity and carbon cycling are stimulated or suppressed.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-DerivedDissolved Organic Matter RegulatesSoil Carbon Respiration via Microbial Ecophysiological Controls

Researchers investigated how microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter influences soil carbon respiration, finding that carbon compounds leached from microplastics alter soil heterotrophic microbial ecophysiology and thereby affect carbon sequestration dynamics in contaminated soils.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal heterogeneous effects of microplastics input on soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) under field conditions

Researchers conducted a long-term field experiment and found that microplastic inputs have spatiotemporally heterogeneous effects on soil dissolved organic matter (DOM), with implications for soil carbon dynamics under increasing terrestrial plastic contamination.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics and Organic Fertilizer Regulation on Soil Dissolved Organic Matter Evolution

This study examined how microplastic addition to soil affects dissolved organic matter (DOM) evolution, focusing on the interactions between microplastics as carbon sources and organic fertilizer. Microplastics altered DOM composition and quantity, with effects on soil carbon cycling that varied by plastic type and organic fertilizer combination, suggesting complex interactions between plastic pollution and soil amendment practices.

2024 Toxics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Trigger Soil Dissolved Organic Carbon and Nutrient Turnover by Strengthening Microbial Network Connectivity and Cross-Trophic Interactions

This study found that polyethylene and PVC microplastics in agricultural soil significantly altered the microbial communities responsible for breaking down organic carbon and recycling nutrients. The microplastics strengthened connections between bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms in ways that accelerated carbon and nutrient turnover. These changes to fundamental soil processes could affect crop nutrition and long-term soil health on farms contaminated with microplastics.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Physiological Adaptation to Biodegradable Microplastics Drives the Transformation and Reactivity of Dissolved Organic Matter in Soil

Researchers studied how soil microbes adapt to biodegradable microplastics (PLA and PHA) and how this affects dissolved organic matter in agricultural soil over 56 days. They found that PLA tripled the oxidation of plant-derived organic matter by activating lignin decomposition pathways, while PHA doubled microbially derived compounds by accelerating bacterial protein synthesis and cell turnover. The study suggests that different biodegradable plastics trigger distinct microbial strategies that reshape soil carbon cycling.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of soil dissolved organic matter to microplastic addition in Chinese loess soil

Researchers added microplastics to loess soil at two concentrations and tracked dissolved organic matter over 30 days, finding that even moderate additions altered the rate of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus release, stimulated soil enzyme activity, and promoted accumulation of high-molecular-weight humic compounds — suggesting microplastic pollution reshapes soil nutrient cycling.

2017 Chemosphere 864 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics shape microbial communities affecting soil organic matter decomposition in paddy soil

Researchers found that microplastics shape soil microbial communities in paddy soils in ways that affect organic matter decomposition, revealing how bacterial succession and carbon cycling are altered by microplastic presence in agricultural systems.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 181 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of the oversized microplastic pollution layer on soil aggregates and organic carbon at different soil depths

Researchers examined how oversized microplastic pollution layers in soil affect aggregate stability and organic carbon at different depths, finding that plastic films disrupted soil aggregate formation and altered carbon distribution, with effects varying by soil depth and plastic concentration.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 46 citations
Article Tier 2

The Role of Soil Microorganisms in Microplastic Biodegradation: Mechanisms, Carbon Preferences, and Ecological Impacts

This review examines how soil microorganisms interact with microplastics and attempt to biodegrade them, finding that despite plastics being carbon-based, their unique chemical structures prevent microbes from using them the same way they use natural organic matter. Soil carbon availability affects which microbes preferentially colonize and partially break down plastic particles, but full assimilation remains limited. Understanding microbial degradation pathways is important for assessing how long microplastics persist in soils and for developing bioremediation strategies.

2026 Environmental Microbiology Reports
Article Tier 2

The Re-distribution of Pristine and Aged Microplastics (<50 µm) in Soil Aggregate Fractions

Researchers investigated how pristine and aged microplastics smaller than 50 micrometers redistribute among soil aggregate fractions during aggregation in two soil textures amended with organic matter, finding that aggregate formation actively partitions microplastics in ways influenced by soil texture and particle aging.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics-driven reconfiguration of organic carbon fractions in lake sediments: mineralization and stabilization dynamics of biodegradable polymers

Microplastics in soil were found to alter the composition and distribution of organic carbon fractions, with implications for soil fertility and carbon sequestration. The study reveals that microplastic contamination can reshape the biogeochemical cycling of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems.

2025 Water Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular insights into effects of PBAT microplastics on latosol microbial diversity and DOM chemodiversity

Researchers found that biodegradable PBAT microplastics significantly altered soil microbial community diversity and dissolved organic matter composition in tropical latosol over 120 days, with effects intensifying at higher microplastic concentrations.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 50 citations