We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to No short-term response of microbial or isopod-driven litter decomposition to microplastics
ClearAddition of polyester in soil affects litter decomposition rates but not microarthropod communities
Adding polyester microplastics to soil slowed leaf litter decomposition rates but did not significantly alter the communities of soil microarthropods like mites and springtails. This suggests microplastics can disrupt important nutrient cycling processes in soil ecosystems even without directly killing soil-dwelling animals.
Soil biota modulate the effects of microplastics on biomass and diversity of plant communities
Researchers used mesocosm experiments with natural soil biota to compare the effects of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics on plant community biomass and diversity. Soil biota modulated the impact of microplastics, with biodegradable plastics showing similar effects to conventional plastics on plant community structure, challenging the assumption that biodegradable alternatives are environmentally benign.
Polyethylene microplastics distinctly affect soil microbial community and carbon and nitrogen cycling during plant litter decomposition
Researchers measured how polyethylene microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon cycling in agricultural soils, finding that microplastic addition shifted microbial diversity and suppressed key carbon mineralization processes. The results suggest microplastic accumulation in farmland could impair soil carbon storage.
Terrestrial Isopods Generate Microplastics from Low-Density Polyethylene Without Effects on Survival
This study found that terrestrial isopods physically fragmented low-density polyethylene plastic into microplastic particles during feeding and locomotion, without experiencing significant effects on survival. The results suggest that soil invertebrates may contribute to secondary microplastic generation in terrestrial ecosystems.
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.
Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous Tree
Researchers investigated how microplastics in forest soil affect the interactions between soil animals and fungal communities during leaf litter decomposition. They found that the presence of microplastics altered fungal community structure and disrupted the beneficial influence that soil animals normally have on decomposition processes. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in forest ecosystems could interfere with nutrient cycling by changing how decomposer communities function.
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.
Effects of microplastics on litter decomposition in wetland soil
A 100-day lab experiment found that both polyethylene and PVC microplastics slowed the breakdown of plant litter in wetland soil, with effects worsening at higher concentrations. Microplastics disrupted soil enzyme activity and altered the microbial communities responsible for decomposing organic matter, which could impair the nutrient cycling that wetlands provide to broader ecosystems. Since wetlands are globally important carbon stores, microplastic-driven disruptions to decomposition processes could have climate-relevant consequences.
Microplastics negatively affect soil fauna but stimulate microbial activity: insights from a field-based microplastic addition experiment
A meta-analysis of microplastic studies found that microplastics negatively affect soil fauna abundance and diversity while stimulating soil microbial activity, based on data from multiple laboratory experiments. The opposing effects on fauna and microbes suggest that microplastics can shift soil community structure in ways that alter ecosystem functions like decomposition and nutrient cycling.
LDPE microplastics significantly alter the temporal turnover of soil microbial communities
Soil amended with polyethylene microplastics showed a significantly faster rate of bacterial community succession over time compared to unamended controls, with community differences between plastic and control soils increasing linearly with incubation duration. The results suggest microplastics accelerate microbial turnover in terrestrial ecosystems, with potential consequences for soil stability and function.
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.
[Interaction between microplastics and microorganisms in soil environment: a review].
This review examines how microplastics alter soil microbial community structure and diversity, and how microorganisms in turn colonize plastic surfaces and degrade them through extracellular enzymes — with degradation efficiency dependent on polymer properties and environmental conditions.
Time-dependent effects of microplastics on soil bacteriome
Researchers studied how six common types of microplastics affect soil bacteria over time at realistic contamination levels. The effects were slow to appear due to the chemical stability of plastics, but over time, microplastics altered bacterial community structure and soil functions in ways that differed by plastic type. This matters because changes to soil bacteria can affect nutrient cycling and crop health, with potential downstream effects on food quality.
Microplastics in soil ecosystems: soil fauna responses to field applications of conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Researchers conducted a field experiment comparing the effects of conventional polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics with biodegradable polylactic acid and polybutylene succinate microplastics on soil fauna communities, finding no significant effects on community composition after 40 days at any concentration tested.
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.
Microplastics alter the leaf litter breakdown rates and the decomposer community in subtropical lentic microhabitats
Researchers exposed leaf litter decomposition systems to microplastics and measured breakdown rates and decomposer community composition, finding that microplastics slowed litter breakdown and shifted the abundance of invertebrate shredders and microbial decomposers. The study suggests microplastics could disrupt nutrient cycling in freshwater ecosystems by impairing a foundational ecological process.
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.
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.
Meta-analysis reveals differential impacts of microplastics on soil biota
Soil microplastic contamination ranged from 0.34 to over 410,000 items/kg across sites, and their presence significantly increased mortality rates and decreased individual numbers, diversity, and reproduction of soil organisms, though biomass was unaffected due to opposing effects on different organism groups.
Concentration-Dependent Impacts of Microplastics on Soil Nematode Community in Bulk Soils of Maize: Evidence From a Pot Experiment
Researchers found that polypropylene microplastics altered soil nematode community composition in a concentration-dependent manner, reducing bacterivore abundance and shifting the soil food web structure, indicating disrupted soil ecological functioning in agricultural settings.
Microplastics are transferred by soil fauna and regulate soil function as material carriers
Springtail soil invertebrates were found to actively transport microplastics through soil and to transfer them and their adsorbed contaminants during feeding activity. Microplastic-laden springtails also suppressed soil organic matter decomposition, demonstrating that soil fauna mediate both the spatial redistribution and the functional impacts of microplastic pollution.
Microplastics Reduce the Negative Effects of Litter-Derived Plant Secondary Metabolites on Nematodes in Soil
Researchers found that microplastics in soil reduced the toxic effects of plant-derived chemicals (phenolic compounds from leaf litter) on soil nematodes. The microplastics appeared to absorb the plant chemicals, reducing their bioavailability to the worms. This shows that microplastics can change soil chemistry in unexpected ways, potentially altering how soil ecosystems function.
Microplastic effects on carbon cycling processes in soils
Researchers reviewed how microplastics affect carbon cycling processes in soils, including their influence on microbial activity, plant growth, and litter decomposition. Since microplastics are themselves carbon-based materials, they can directly alter soil carbon stocks while also indirectly shifting microbial communities. The study calls for a major research effort to understand the widespread effects of microplastics on soil functioning and terrestrial ecosystem health.
Plastic bag and facial cleanser derived microplastic do not affect feeding behaviour and energy reserves of terrestrial isopods
Researchers fed terrestrial isopods microplastic particles derived from plastic bags and facial scrub beads for 14 days at realistic concentrations and detected no effects on feeding rate, food assimilation, body mass, survival, or energy reserves, suggesting that short-term microplastic exposure at these particle sizes is not acutely harmful to this common soil invertebrate.