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 Effects of microplastics on inorganic nitrogen dynamics in surface water sediments under different disturbance intensities
ClearMicroplastics affect organic nitrogen in sediment: The response of organic nitrogen mineralization to microbes and benthic animals
Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics affect organic nitrogen cycling in sediments, measuring the responses of key nitrogen-transforming microorganisms. They found microplastics alter the composition of organic nitrogen and suppress certain nitrogen cycling processes.
Intertidal Concentrations of Microplastics and Their Influence on Ammonium Cycling as Related to the Shellfish Industry
Researchers determined the concentration and spatial distribution of microplastics in intertidal sediments at shellfish aquaculture sites and investigated their influence on ammonium cycling, finding that elevated microplastic concentrations altered nitrogen processing by benthic microbial communities. The results suggest microplastics at aquaculture densities may disrupt sediment nutrient dynamics with potential implications for shellfish productivity.
Effects of microplastics on nitrogen and phosphorus cycles and microbial communities in sediments
Researchers found that PVC, PLA, and polypropylene microplastics altered nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in freshwater sediments by shifting microbial community composition, with effects varying by polymer type and biodegradability.
Effect of microplastics on ecosystem functioning: Microbial nitrogen removal mediated by benthic invertebrates
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal in freshwater sediments where chironomid larvae and microorganisms coexist. They found that while microplastics and larvae each individually promoted nitrogen removal by boosting denitrifying bacteria, combining them together produced less benefit than expected. The study suggests that rising microplastic concentrations may disrupt the natural nitrogen cycling that benthic invertebrates help maintain in freshwater ecosystems.
Aging behaviors intensify the impacts of microplastics on nitrate bioreduction-driven nitrogen cycling in freshwater sediments
This study found that microplastics that have aged in the environment have stronger effects on nitrogen cycling in lake sediments than fresh microplastics, significantly altering how bacteria process nitrogen. These disruptions to natural nutrient cycles in freshwater systems could affect water quality and the broader food web that ultimately connects to human food sources.
Microplastics strengthen nitrogen retention by intensifying nitrogen limitation in mangrove ecosystem sediments
In a lab experiment simulating mangrove wetland sediments, microplastics altered nutrient cycling by intensifying nitrogen limitation, which changed how microbes processed nitrogen. While focused on environmental impacts, this matters because mangrove ecosystems are important coastal filters, and disrupting their nutrient cycles could affect downstream water quality and the health of seafood that humans consume.
Microplastics affect sedimentary microbial communities and nitrogen cycling
A microcosm experiment showed that microplastics added to salt marsh sediment altered microbial community composition and disrupted nitrogen cycling, including reduced denitrification rates, suggesting that microplastic contamination could impair important biogeochemical functions.
Polyethylene microplastics interfere with the nutrient cycle in water-plant-sediment systems
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect nutrient cycling in freshwater systems containing submerged plants and sediment. They found that the microplastics significantly reduced nitrogen and carbon content in plant leaves and disrupted the microbial communities in sediment responsible for nutrient processing. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can interfere with fundamental biogeochemical cycles that maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems.
New insight into ammonium removal in riverbanks under the exposure of microplastics
Researchers discovered that microplastic accumulation in riverbank sediments decreases ammonium removal capacity by 8-13%, caused by reduced abundance of nitrifying bacteria, revealing a previously unknown mechanism by which plastic pollution impairs natural water purification.
Effects of microplastic biofilms on nutrient cycling in simulated freshwater systems
Polypropylene microplastic biofilms in freshwater microcosms accelerated nitrogen cycling processes including ammonia oxidation and denitrification, and temporarily accumulated phosphorus before releasing it as biofilms matured and broke apart. The results demonstrate that microplastic-associated biofilms actively alter nutrient dynamics in freshwater systems, with potential consequences for water quality.
Effects of Different-Sized Polyethylene Microplastics on Nitrogen Transformation in River Sediment-Water Systems
Researchers ran a 120-day indoor experiment to study how four different particle sizes of polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen cycling in river sediment-water systems. They found that microplastic addition significantly altered nitrogen transformation processes, with effects depending on particle size.
Unveiling the impact of microplastics with distinct polymer types and concentrations on tidal sediment microbiome and nitrogen cycling
Researchers tested how five different types of microplastics at varying concentrations affect microbial communities and nitrogen cycling in tidal sediments over 30 days. They found that microplastics generally reduced microbial diversity and enhanced nitrogen fixation, with biodegradable PLA plastic showing concentration-dependent effects. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in coastal sediments can disrupt important nutrient cycling processes driven by microorganisms.
Discrepancy strategies of sediment abundant and rare microbial communities in response to floating microplastic disturbances: Study using a microcosmic experiment
Using microcosm experiments with fluvial sediment exposed to four plastic types, researchers found that floating microplastics altered sediment microbial diversity and reduced bacteria involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling. Abundant microbial taxa were more sensitive to microplastic disturbance than rare taxa, and microplastics decreased network complexity and increased negative species interactions in microbial communities.
Microplastics Affect Sediment Phosphorus Transformation: Based on the Interplay of Bioturbation and Microbial Regulation
This study investigated how microplastics (polypropylene, polystyrene, and polylactic acid) affect phosphorus cycling in river sediments, finding that MP contamination altered the distribution of phosphorus fractions and that bioturbation by benthic animals changed how MPs interacted with nutrient transformation processes.
Effects of microplastic contamination on soil nitrogen and its bioavailability in soybean-maize rotation system
Researchers conducting a field experiment found that microplastics in agricultural soil disrupt the nitrogen cycle in a soybean-maize rotation system, inhibiting the natural nitrogen fixation that legumes provide and increasing the conversion of ammonium to nitrate — a form more prone to leaching away — raising concerns for long-term soil fertility.
Changes in particle mixing by benthic infauna induced by microplastics: implications for nitrogen cycling in marine sediments
Researchers found that increasing polypropylene microplastic concentrations impaired deep-burrowing behaviour of the marine worm Macroclymenella stewartensis but not the bivalve Macomona liliana, with microplastics also modifying interspecific relationships and thereby disrupting particle mixing and nutrient cycling processes in marine sediments.
Insights into soil autotrophic ammonium oxidization under microplastics stress: Crossroads of nitrification, comammox, anammox and Feammox
This study found that microplastics in soil disrupted key nitrogen cycling processes carried out by bacteria, including nitrification and other pathways essential for soil fertility. Different types of microplastics had varying effects on the microbial communities responsible for converting nitrogen into forms plants can use. Since nitrogen availability directly affects crop growth, microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could subtly undermine food production.
Polylactic acid microplastics facilitate nitrogen removal in freshwater sediments by modulating carbon-nitrogen coupling
Laboratory incubations showed that PLA microplastics enhance nitrogen removal in freshwater sediments by releasing carbon compounds that fuel denitrifying bacteria, reducing nitrate levels in the water. While counterintuitive — a plastic aiding water quality — this finding reveals that biodegradable microplastics can actively reshape nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems in ways that standard risk models do not capture.
Polyethylene microplastic and soil nitrogen dynamics: Unraveling the links between functional genes, microbial communities, and transformation processes
Researchers conducted a six-month experiment to understand how polyethylene microplastics in soil affect nitrogen cycling, a process critical for soil fertility and plant nutrition. They found that while total nitrogen levels stayed stable, microplastics significantly altered the forms of nitrogen present by increasing ammonium and nitrate while decreasing dissolved organic nitrogen. The study suggests that microplastics reshape soil microbial communities and their nitrogen-processing activities, potentially disrupting the natural nutrient balance in agricultural soils.
Effects of microplastics on the structure and function of bacterial communities in sediments of a freshwater lake
Researchers examined how microplastics alter the structure and function of bacterial communities in sediments, finding that plastic exposure shifted community composition and reduced overall diversity compared to plastic-free controls. Functional analysis showed impaired denitrification and organic matter decomposition in microplastic-contaminated sediments, indicating ecosystem-level consequences for nutrient cycling.
Recent advances in impacts of microplastics on nitrogen cycling in the environment: A review
This review examined how microplastics affect nitrogen cycling, a critical process in soil, water, and sediment ecosystems driven by microbial communities. Researchers found that the type, size, and concentration of microplastics can alter microbial populations responsible for nitrogen transformation, disrupting processes like nitrification and denitrification. The study highlights that chemical additives released from microplastics may also play a role, though the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood.
Microplastic impacts on soil and sediment bioturbation: insights from microcosm experiments across diverse ecosystems
This study used microcosm experiments across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems to assess whether microplastics affect bioturbation — the physical reworking of sediment and soil by organisms. Microplastic exposure reduced bioturbation activity in multiple ecosystems, with implications for nutrient cycling and sediment health.
Unveiling microplastic's role in nitrogen cycling: Metagenomic insights from estuarine sediment microcosms
Researchers used metagenomic analysis to examine how polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics affect nitrogen cycling in estuarine sediments. They found that microplastics altered the abundance of genes involved in key nitrogen transformation processes like nitrification and denitrification. The study reveals that microplastic pollution in estuaries may disrupt important biogeochemical cycles that support aquatic ecosystem health.
Microplastics affect C, N, and P cycling in natural environments: Highlighting the driver of soil hydraulic properties
This study found that common microplastics like polyethylene and polypropylene significantly change how soil handles water and nutrients by increasing water content, reducing soil density, and altering bacterial communities involved in nitrogen and carbon cycling. These changes affected how nutrients are stored in soil, with increases of 12 to 93 percent in nitrogen and carbon storage depending on the plastic type and amount. The findings suggest microplastic pollution could disrupt the fundamental soil processes that support food production.