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Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to Optimizing Microbial Composition in Soil Macroaggregates Enhances Nitrogen Supply Through Long-Term Straw Return
ClearSpatio-temporal distribution of soil microbial communities and nutrient availability around a municipal solid waste landfill
Despite its title referencing soil microbial communities near a municipal solid waste landfill, this paper studies bacterial and fungal community composition in soils surrounding a landfill — not microplastic pollution. It examines how proximity to the landfill affects microbial diversity and nutrient cycling and is not directly relevant to microplastics or human health.
Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Nitrogen Dynamics: Effects of Maize Straw Incorporation Under Contrasting Nitrogen Fertilization Levels
Not relevant to microplastics — this study examines how maize straw incorporation into soils with different nitrogen fertilization histories affects greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen cycling in agricultural fields.
Comparison of Different Agronomic Activities on Physicochemical Properties and N-cycling Gene Abundances in Farmland Soil Near Copper Tailings Area
Despite its title referencing farmland soil and agronomic activities, this paper studies how different fertilisation practices affect nitrogen-cycling bacteria in soils contaminated with copper mine waste — not microplastic pollution. It examines microbial gene abundances related to nitrogen fixation and denitrification, and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.
Living in the plastic age - Different short-term microbial response to microplastics addition to arable soils with contrasting soil organic matter content and farm management legacy
Adding polyethylene or polypropylene microplastics to two agricultural soils did not severely disrupt overall microbial activity or nitrogen cycling, but polypropylene reduced microbial biomass, especially in the organically managed soil. The results suggest that soil management history influences how resilient soil microbiomes are to microplastic contamination.
Microplastic pollution on the soil and its consequences on the nitrogen cycle: a review
This review examines microplastic pollution impacts on soil nitrogen cycling, finding that microplastics alter soil structure, serve as novel microbial colonization surfaces, and affect the microbial communities responsible for nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification.
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.
Enhancing Soil Health and Plant Growth through Microbial Fertilizers: Mechanisms, Benefits, and Sustainable Agricultural Practices
This study examines how microbial fertilizers improve soil health by boosting beneficial microorganism populations that help plants absorb nutrients and resist disease. While not directly about microplastics, healthy soil microbial communities are important for breaking down environmental contaminants including plastics. The research supports sustainable farming practices that could help soils better cope with microplastic contamination.
Unraveling the characteristics of microplastics in agricultural soils upon long-term organic fertilizer application: A comprehensive study using diversity indices
Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in agricultural soils that had received organic fertilizers (pig manure, chicken manure, and sewage sludge compost) for 12 years. All three fertilizer types introduced significant microplastic pollution, with risk levels classified as high across all treatments. This study shows that organic fertilizers, often considered environmentally friendly, are a major pathway for microplastics to enter the soil and potentially the food we grow in it.
Aging of biodegradable plastics alters soil aggregate stability and organic carbon through shifts in microbial community composition
Researchers examined how polylactic acid (PLA) drinking straw fragments at varying concentrations alter soil aggregate stability, organic carbon, and microbial communities, finding that moderate concentrations initially boosted aggregate stability and microbial diversity before higher concentrations caused decline, while PLA degradation enriched potentially pathogenic bacteria.
Maize/Soybean Intercropping with Straw Return Increases Crop Yield by Influencing the Biological Characteristics of Soil
This study tested how combining straw return with maize-soybean intercropping affects soil health and crop yields in northeast China. The combined technique boosted soil microbial diversity, enzyme activity, and crop productivity compared to single-crop farming. While not directly about microplastics, the research highlights sustainable farming practices that improve soil biology, which is relevant because healthier soil ecosystems may be more resilient to microplastic contamination.
Synergistic biochar‑Bacillus consortium enhances phosphorus availability, root architecture, and inflorescence development in greenhouse cherry tomato
Despite its title referencing biochar and Bacillus soil amendments, this paper studies how combining biochar with beneficial bacteria improves phosphorus availability and crop yield in greenhouse tomato farming — not microplastic pollution. It examines changes in soil microbiology and root development and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.
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.
Effects of microplastics on soil microorganisms and microbial functions in nutrients and carbon cycling – A review
This review examines how microplastics in soil alter the communities of bacteria and fungi that are essential for recycling nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon. Microplastics can increase certain beneficial bacteria but decrease others that are important for soil fertility, and they also carry toxic chemicals that further disrupt microbial life. The authors note that most studies are short-term lab experiments, and long-term field studies are needed to understand real-world impacts.
Effects of different sizes of polystyrene micro(nano)plastics on soil microbial communities.
This study tested how polystyrene micro- and nanoplastic particles of three sizes affect soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling, finding that smaller particles caused greater disruption to nitrogen cycling and microbial activity. The results suggest that as plastics in soil fragment into smaller pieces over time, their impact on soil biology and fertility may worsen.
Polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics promote soil nitrification and alter the composition of key nitrogen functional bacterial groups
Researchers found that polyethylene and PVC microplastics in soil increased nitrification (a key step in the nitrogen cycle) and changed the composition of nitrogen-processing bacteria. These changes could affect soil fertility and the availability of nutrients for crops. The study highlights how microplastic contamination in agricultural soil may have hidden effects on food production by altering fundamental soil processes.
Effects of microbial inoculants combined with maize straw on physicochemical properties and microbial community structure in black soil during soybean growth
This paper is not about microplastics; it examines how combining microbial inoculants with maize straw as a soil amendment improves soybean yield and soil microbial diversity.
[Characterization of Microplastics and Diazotrophic Community in Greenhouse Soils with Vegetable Planting Ages in Karst Areas].
Researchers characterised microplastics and nitrogen-fixing (diazotrophic) bacterial communities in greenhouse soils from vegetable fields of different planting ages in a karst area of China. Older cultivation soils had higher MP accumulation and distinct diazotroph community structures, suggesting long-term plastic mulch use progressively alters soil nitrogen fixation ecology.
Key factors and mechanisms of microplastics’ effects on soil nitrogen transformation: A review
This review systematically analyzed how microplastics affect nitrogen transformation processes in soil. Researchers found that the size, shape, concentration, and polymer type of microplastics all influence soil nitrogen cycling through changes to microbial communities, soil structure, and enzyme activity. The study identifies key knowledge gaps and recommends standardized research approaches to better predict how microplastic pollution will alter soil nutrient dynamics.
Illuminating the nexus between non-biodegradable microplastics and soil nitrogen dynamics: A modulation through plant-derived organic matter
This research examined how different vegetation types (shrub, grassland, and bare soil) influence the impact of polystyrene microplastics on nitrogen cycling in soil. Microplastics disrupted nitrogen processes across all vegetation types, but shrub soils showed greater resistance, while grassland soils were most vulnerable to disruption of nitrogen-fixing microbial communities. Since nitrogen cycling is fundamental to soil fertility and plant growth, this finding has implications for agricultural lands where microplastic contamination from plastic mulch films is increasingly common.
Soil horizons regulate bacterial community structure and functions in Dabie Mountain of the East China
This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it examines how soil horizon depth influences bacterial community structure and nutrient cycling functions in mountain forest soils.