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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Artificial particles and soil communities interactively change heterospecific plant-soil feedbacks
ClearArtificial particles and soil communities interactively change heterospecific plant-soil feedbacks
Researchers conducted a two-phase greenhouse experiment to test how microplastics and glass particles affect plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) involving three plant species under intact and initially depleted soil communities, finding that particle addition generally increased PSF strength based on plant biomass. Effects were stronger in the depleted soil community, indicating that microplastics interact with soil biota to modulate how plants influence one another through soil pathways.
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.
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.
Live soil ameliorated the negative effects of biodegradable but not non-biodegradable microplastics on the growth of plant communities
Researchers conducted a greenhouse experiment with six plant communities and five biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastic treatments to compare their effects on plant community productivity and diversity, with and without live soil biota. Results showed live soil ameliorated the negative effects of biodegradable but not non-biodegradable microplastics on plant growth, demonstrating that soil biota mediate microplastic impacts in type-dependent ways.
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.
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.
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.
Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystem: Exploring the menace to the soil-plant-microbe interactions
This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics affect the complex relationships between soil, plants, and soil microbes. Microplastics alter soil structure, change the makeup of microbial communities, and disrupt beneficial partnerships between plants and helpful fungi and bacteria. These disruptions can reduce plant growth and nutrient cycling, which could ultimately affect crop yields and the quality of food produced on microplastic-contaminated farmland.
Soil heterogeneity in the horizontal distribution of microplastics influences productivity and species composition of plant communities
Researchers grew experimental plant communities in soils with either homogeneous or heterogeneous horizontal distributions of six common microplastic types, finding that spatial heterogeneity in microplastic distribution significantly influences plant community productivity and species composition in terrestrial ecosystems.
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.
Microplastics in plant-microbes-soil system: A review on recent studies
This review examined microplastic interactions within the plant-microbe-soil system, finding that microplastics affect soil physicochemical properties, alter microbial communities, and can be taken up by plants, with implications for food safety and ecosystem health.
Microplastics and soil microbiomes
This review examines the two-way relationship between microplastics and soil microbiomes: how microplastics alter microbial community structure and function, and how soil microbes in turn affect the behavior of microplastics. Researchers found that microplastics can shift microbial communities and disrupt key ecosystem processes like nutrient cycling. The study also discusses how certain soil microbes may enhance the degradation of microplastics, pointing to potential natural remediation pathways.
Microplastic abundance thresholds shape the growth of 18 wild plant species: the importance of soil pH
A large experiment exposed 18 wild plant species to a gradient of polypropylene microplastics in soil and found that the impacts were surprisingly mixed: 50% of species were unaffected, 39% actually grew better with microplastics present, and only 11% were inhibited. Growth responses followed a hump-shaped curve, peaking at moderate microplastic concentrations, and soil pH emerged as a key factor mediating the effects by altering nutrient uptake and leaf chlorophyll. These results challenge the assumption that microplastics always harm plants, suggesting that ecosystem-level effects depend heavily on concentration, species, and soil chemistry. The findings underscore the complexity of predicting how plastic pollution affects terrestrial food webs.
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.
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.
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.
Microplastics alter the equilibrium of plant-soil-microbial system: A meta-analysis
This meta-analysis pools data from multiple studies to show that microplastics disrupt the balance between plants, soil, and soil microbes. The effects vary depending on the type, size, and concentration of microplastics, suggesting that these tiny plastic particles can alter how nutrients cycle through the soil and ultimately affect the food we grow.
Microplastic: Evaluating the Impact on Soil-Microbes and Plant System
This review examines how microplastics affect soil microbial communities and plant systems in agricultural settings, documenting impacts on soil health, microbial diversity, and crop physiology. As microplastics accumulate in farmland soils through irrigation, sludge application, and plastic mulches, their effects on the soil ecosystem that underpins food production are a growing concern.
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.
Size effects of microplastics on competition between crop and weed via soil microbes
Researchers conducted a controlled greenhouse experiment to investigate how 50 μm and 500 μm polyethylene microplastics affect competition between Eruca sativa (crop) and Amaranthus retroflexus (weed) by altering soil microbial communities. They found that larger microplastics (500 μm) increased the competitive advantage of weeds over crops by shifting bacterial and fungal community composition and interkingdom microbial network structure.
Microplastics in soil can increase nutrient uptake by wheat
Researchers found that microplastics in soil can increase nutrient uptake by wheat by stimulating microbial activity and altering root interactions, suggesting microplastics may disrupt natural nutrient-cycling strategies in agricultural systems.
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.
Sources, migration, accumulation and influence of microplastics in terrestrial plant communities
This review examined microplastic sources, migration, and accumulation in terrestrial plant communities, highlighting how microplastics affect plant growth, soil properties, and ecosystem functions at the community level rather than just individual plants.
Microplastics in plant-soil ecosystems: A meta-analysis
This first formal meta-analysis of microplastics in plant-soil systems found that microplastics made soils more porous and water-retentive but decreased aggregate stability and microbial diversity, suggesting plastics occupy physical space without integrating into the soil biophysical matrix. Maize was more sensitive than rice or wheat, and microplastics enhanced soil CO2 flux and evapotranspiration while reducing N2O flux.