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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics as habitat-dependent ecological filters: facilitating plant invasion in water while reinforcing biotic resistance on land
ClearMicroplastics enhance the invasion of exotic submerged macrophytes by mediating plant functional traits, sediment properties, and microbial communities
This study found that polystyrene microplastics in water helped invasive aquatic plants grow stronger and spread more effectively, while native plants were not similarly boosted. The microplastics changed soil chemistry and disrupted bacterial communities in ways that specifically favored the invasive species. This research shows that microplastic pollution could accelerate the spread of invasive plants in lakes and rivers, further threatening aquatic ecosystem health.
Microplastics promote the invasiveness of invasive alien species under fluctuating water regime
Researchers found that microplastic pollution in soil can enhance the invasiveness of alien plant species, particularly under fluctuating water conditions that simulate extreme rainfall events. The microplastics altered soil properties in ways that gave invasive plants a competitive advantage over native species. The study highlights a previously overlooked interaction between two major environmental threats: microplastic contamination and biological invasions.
The native submerged plant, Hydrilla verticillata outperforms its exotic confamilial with exposure to polyamide microplastic pollution: Implication for wetland revegetation and potential driving mechanism
Researchers found that a native aquatic plant species maintained its growth when exposed to polyamide microplastic pollution, while an invasive species declined. This suggests that native plants may be better choices for restoring waterways contaminated with microplastics. The study provides practical guidance for wetland restoration efforts in areas affected by microplastic pollution.
Natural filters of marine microplastic pollution: implications for plants and submerged environments
Researchers reviewed how vegetated ecosystems — like wetlands and marshes — act as natural filters that trap microplastics before they flow into waterways, but found that these trapped particles can still harm soil health and plant growth by causing oxidative stress. The review highlights a critical gap: plants help protect aquatic environments from microplastic pollution while simultaneously being harmed by it themselves.
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.
Rhizosphere Keystone Microbiomes Promote Invasive Plant Growth under PLA and PVC Microplastic Stress: A Comparative Study with Native Species
Researchers compared how invasive and native plant species respond to soil contaminated with biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics. Invasive plants experienced less growth inhibition and selectively enriched beneficial bacteria in their root zones, forming more stable microbial networks. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in soils may inadvertently give invasive species a competitive advantage over native plants.
Ecological impacts of polylactic acid and polylactic acid-polyethylene microplastics on freshwater ecosystems: Insights from a water–Vallisneria natans–sediment system
Researchers tested the effects of biodegradable PLA and PLA-polyethylene blend microplastics on a freshwater ecosystem containing aquatic plants and sediment. Both types of microplastics altered water chemistry, reduced plant growth, increased oxidative stress, and shifted the microbial communities in both water and sediment. The study demonstrates that even biodegradable plastic alternatives can disrupt freshwater ecosystems in meaningful ways.
The more microplastic types pollute the soil, the stronger the growth suppression of invasive alien and native plants
Researchers grew 16 plant species in soil contaminated with varying numbers of microplastic types and found that plant growth declined more as the diversity of microplastics increased. Invasive species were particularly affected, losing their typical growth advantage over native plants when exposed to multiple microplastic types. The study suggests that real-world soil contamination, which typically involves a mix of different plastics, may suppress plant growth more than single-plastic experiments have shown.
Contrasting the effects of microplastic types, concentrations and nutrient enrichment on freshwater communities and ecosystem functioning
Researchers tested two types of microplastics, conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid, in outdoor freshwater mesocosms and found that neither type significantly affected community composition or ecosystem functions like algae growth and leaf decomposition. Even at concentrations known to cause harm in lab settings, the microplastics had minimal impact when tested in more realistic ecological conditions. The study suggests that real-world microplastic effects on freshwater communities may differ from laboratory predictions.
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.
The effects of microplastics size and type on entrapment by freshwater macrophytes under vertical and lateral deposition
Researchers investigated how microplastic particle size and polymer type affect entrapment by freshwater macrophytes, finding that certain aquatic plant species preferentially intercepted specific particle sizes and that plant morphology determined capture efficiency across MPs of varying dimensions.
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.
Review of the toxic effect of microplastics on terrestrial and aquatic plants
This review summarizes research on how microplastics affect both terrestrial and aquatic plants, finding that their toxicity depends on the type, size, and surface chemistry of the plastic particles. Researchers found that seeds and root systems are particularly vulnerable to microplastic exposure, and that the harmful effects differ between land and water plants. The study also highlights that chemicals released from or adsorbed onto microplastics pose additional secondary risks to plant health.
RhizosphereKeystoneMicrobiomes Promote InvasivePlant Growth under PLA and PVC Microplastic Stress: A ComparativeStudy with Native Species
A mesocosm experiment compared the growth responses of invasive and native plant species to PLA (biodegradable) and PVC (conventional) microplastics in soil. Invasive plants outperformed native species under MP stress partly due to shifts in rhizosphere keystone microbiomes, suggesting microplastics may amplify invasion success.
Nitrogen deposition modulates invasibility and stability of plant communities in microplastic-contaminated wetlands
A greenhouse experiment found that polyethylene microplastics combined with nitrogen deposition reduced morphological traits of invaded wetland plant communities, altering competitive dynamics between invasive and native plants.
Microplastics could alter invasive plant community performance and the dominance of Amaranthus palmeri
This study examined how microplastics interact with invasive and native plant species in mixed plant communities, finding that microplastics altered competitive dynamics and affected the dominance of the invasive species Amaranthus palmeri. The results suggest that microplastic pollution could modulate the outcomes of plant invasions.
Effects of plastisphere on phosphorus availability in freshwater system: Critical roles of polymer type and colonizing habitat
This study examined how biofilm-covered microplastics of different polymer types affect phosphorus availability in freshwater, finding that polymer type and colonization habitat determined whether plastisphere biofilms acted as phosphorus sources or sinks, with implications for nutrient cycling in aquatic 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.
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 Alter Growth and Reproduction Strategy of Scirpus mariqueter by Modifying Soil Nutrient Availability
Researchers exposed the coastal wetland plant Scirpus mariqueter to four microplastic types (PP, PE, PS, PET) at three concentrations and found microplastics altered plant biomass, vegetative traits, and reproductive allocation, with PET and PS causing the strongest effects by disrupting soil nutrient availability.
Microplastics in freshwaters: Comparing effects of particle properties and an invertebrate consumer on microbial communities and ecosystem functions
Researchers tested how different microplastic properties, including concentration, shape, and polymer type, affect microbial communities and ecosystem functions in freshwater environments. They found that the presence of an invertebrate consumer had a stronger influence on microbial activity than the microplastics themselves, though high concentrations of certain particle shapes did alter community composition. The study suggests that the ecological effects of microplastics in freshwater depend heavily on the broader biological context.
Polymer type more strongly than concentration drives root responses to microplastics: root biomass–efficiency trade-offs and biogeochemical risks in coastal wetlands
Researchers used mesocosm experiments in coastal wetlands to determine whether microplastic polymer type or concentration more strongly drives root biomass and biogeochemical responses in wetland plants. They found that polymer type exerted stronger effects than concentration on root biomass-efficiency trade-offs, with implications for how risk assessments for coastal wetland ecosystems should be designed.
Niche vs. habitat: Insights of aging microplastics and wetland types on bacterial community assembly
Researchers studied how bacterial communities assemble on microplastic surfaces (plastispheres) versus surrounding soil in three types of wetlands using low-density polyethylene. They found that wetland habitat type had a stronger influence on bacterial diversity patterns than whether the plastic was virgin or aged, with plastisphere communities showing lower diversity and more stochastic assembly compared to soil communities.
Bacterial community are more susceptible to nanoplastics than algae community in aquatic ecosystems dominated by submerged macrophytes
Researchers conducted a mesocosm experiment to test how nanoplastics affect bacterial and algal communities in aquatic ecosystems with submerged plants. They found that bacterial communities were significantly more sensitive to nanoplastic exposure than algal communities, with notable shifts in bacterial composition and function. The study reveals that different groups of microorganisms in natural water environments respond very differently to nanoplastic contamination.