Papers

61,005 results
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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

Investigation of Soil-Dwelling Bacterial Community Changes Induced by Microplastic Ex posure Using Amplicon Sequencing

Researchers analyzed soil bacterial community composition after microplastic contamination, finding that different polymer types caused distinct shifts in microbial diversity and functional groups, with implications for soil nutrient cycling and agricultural productivity.

2025 Korean Science Education Society for the Gifted
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of microplastics and their abundance impacts on microbial structure and function in agricultural soils of remote areas in west China

Researchers found that agricultural soils in remote western China using plastic mulch film had about four times more microplastics than fields without it, mostly tiny polyamide fragments under 50 micrometers. The microplastics changed the diversity and function of soil bacteria, including boosting organisms linked to organic matter breakdown. These microbial shifts could affect soil health and potentially increase health risks from crops grown in contaminated soil.

2024 Environmental Pollution 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Increasing microplastic abundance drives deterministic assembly of soil microbial communities and suppresses energy metabolism

A field study of agricultural soils in southwest China found that higher microplastic concentrations suppress the genes bacteria need for energy production and carbohydrate breakdown, while also pushing microbial communities toward less diverse, stress-filtered compositions. These disruptions to soil microbial function raise concerns for long-term agricultural productivity and ecosystem health in microplastic-contaminated farmland.

2026 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology
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

Characterizing Microplastic Pollution and Microbial Community Status in Rice Paddy Soils Across Varied Environmental Settings in Songjiang, Shanghai: An Analysis of Morpho-Chemical Characteristics

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution and associated microbial communities in rice paddy soils, finding widespread microplastic contamination that correlated with shifts in soil bacterial diversity. Plastic-associated microbial communities differed from bulk soil communities, suggesting microplastics create distinct microbial niches in agricultural environments.

2024 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The Spatiotemporal Successions of Bacterial and Fungal Plastisphere Communities and Their Effects on Microplastic Degradation in Soil Ecosystems

Researchers tracked how bacterial and fungal communities colonize microplastic surfaces in soil over time, finding that the surrounding soil type had the strongest influence on which microbes grew on the plastics. The microbial communities on microplastics were less diverse and less stable than those in the surrounding soil, but they attracted microbes with a higher capacity to break down organic carbon. The study suggests that microplastic surfaces become hotspots for carbon metabolism in soil ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of microplastics in microbial community structure and functions in urban soils

Researchers analyzed 42 soil samples from seven types of urban areas and found that microplastics in city soil significantly alter the makeup and activity of microbial communities. Higher microplastic levels were linked to changes in bacteria involved in nutrient cycling and organic matter breakdown. This matters because healthy soil microbes are essential for urban green spaces, food gardens, and ultimately the quality of produce grown in city environments.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 35 citations
Article Tier 2

The microplastics distribution characteristics and their impact on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial communities in food legumes farmland in northern China

Researchers surveyed farmland soil across five provinces in northern China and found microplastic contamination ranging from 1,600 to over 36,000 particles per kilogram of soil. Most of the microplastics were small fibers and fragments, primarily from agricultural plastic film and organic fertilizer use. The study found that microplastic presence altered soil properties and shifted bacterial community composition, suggesting these particles may affect soil health in food-growing regions.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms of polyethylene microplastics on microbial community assembly and carbon-nitrogen transformation potentials in soils with different textures

Researchers used DNA sequencing to examine how polyethylene microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon-nitrogen cycling across soils with different textures. They found that microplastics significantly shifted microbial community composition and altered the abundance of genes involved in carbon and nitrogen transformation, with effects varying by soil type. The study suggests that microplastic contamination may disrupt fundamental nutrient cycling processes differently depending on soil characteristics.

2025 Environmental Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in heavy metal-contaminated soil drives bacterial community and metabolic changes

Researchers found that adding common microplastics to soil already contaminated with heavy metals significantly changed the bacterial communities and their metabolic processes. The microplastics increased competition among bacteria and shifted how they process energy, while Proteobacteria became more abundant as a stress response. This matters because when microplastics and heavy metals combine in agricultural soil, they may disrupt the microbial ecosystems that keep soil healthy for growing food.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Scientific Reports 8 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

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.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 87 citations
Article Tier 2

The bridging role of soil organic carbon in regulating bacterial community by microplastic pollution: Evidence from different microplastic additions

This study tested how three common microplastics -- polyethylene, polystyrene, and PVC -- affect soil health when present at realistic concentrations. All three types changed the soil's chemistry and shifted the balance of bacterial communities, which matters because these same soil changes can affect the crops we grow and the food chain that ultimately impacts human health.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Responses to an Urban–Suburban–Exurban Gradient in Forest Soils: Shifts in Community Structure and Membrane Lipid Composition

Not relevant to microplastics — this study examines how soil microbial communities and membrane lipid composition shift along an urban-to-rural gradient in China, driven by urbanization and soil depth; microplastics are not a focus of the research.

2026 Land
Article Tier 2

Microplastics abundance associated with farmland use types and the impact on soil microbial communities: A case study in Southern China

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination across orchard, paddy field, and vegetable field soils in Southern China and analyzed how it affected soil microbial communities. They found microplastic levels ranging widely across sites, with very small particles under 30 micrometers being most common, and identified 32 different polymer types. The study shows that farmland use type and agricultural practices like plastic mulching significantly influence both the amount and type of microplastic contamination in soils.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics increase soil microbial network complexity and trigger diversity-driven community assembly

Researchers found that microplastics in soil increased bacterial network complexity and shifted microbial community assembly in a diversity-dependent manner, with high-density polyethylene causing more harm to plant growth than polystyrene or polylactic acid particles.

2023 Environmental Pollution 49 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Global meta-analysis reveals differential effects of microplastics on soil ecosystem

This meta-analysis pooled data from 114 studies to understand how microplastics affect soil ecosystems at different concentrations. Higher microplastic levels reduced soil organic matter and microbial activity, suggesting that increasing plastic pollution could degrade the soil that supports our food supply.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing Microplastic Contamination Effects on Soil Microbial Communities in Agricultural Land

This study sampled agricultural soils with varying degrees of microplastic contamination to assess effects on microbial diversity, abundance, and enzymatic activity, finding that higher microplastic concentrations reduced microbial diversity and suppressed nutrient-cycling enzyme activity.

2025 ACADEMIA Biota Nexus Journal
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics alter soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem multifunctionality

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics at different concentrations affect soil microbial communities and overall ecosystem function in a maize growing system. They found that higher concentrations of microplastics shifted microbial community composition, reduced beneficial bacteria involved in nutrient cycling, and impaired multiple soil ecosystem functions simultaneously. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can undermine the biological processes that support healthy crop growth.

2023 Environment International 114 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter microbial structure and assembly processes in different soil types: Driving effects of environmental factors

Researchers investigated how biodegradable polylactic acid and conventional polyethylene microplastics affect soil microbial communities across different soil types. They found that PLA increased dissolved organic carbon and pH while decreasing nitrogen availability, whereas polyethylene had contrasting effects depending on soil type. The study reveals that microplastic impacts on microbial community structure and assembly processes are soil-type-specific, with dissolved organic carbon driving changes in red soil and pH being the primary factor in fluvo-aquic soil.

2025 Environmental Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterial life-history trade-offs under biodegradable and conventional microplastics in cinnamon and lime concretion black soils

Researchers studied how two biodegradable and four conventional microplastics affect bacterial life-history trade-offs in two distinct Chinese soil types, finding that soil type and plastic type together shaped bacterial diversity, community composition, and functional profiles.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Long-Term Fertilization History Alters Effects of Microplastics on Soil Properties, Microbial Communities, and Functions in Diverse Farmland Ecosystem

This study found that adding polyethylene microplastics to farm soil changed the soil's microbial communities, and the effects depended on the soil type and fertilization history. Soil with lower microbial diversity was more vulnerable to microplastic disruption, and microplastics increased the presence of disease-causing microorganisms. These findings matter because microplastics in agricultural soil could reduce soil health and potentially affect the safety of crops grown for human consumption.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 285 citations