Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Supplementary information forSoil microplastics pollution can reduce viral abundance and have less consistent impacts on bacteria

Researchers found that soil microplastic pollution can reduce viral abundance in soil and have inconsistent effects on soil microbial communities, with the supporting data documenting experimental measurements of viral density and microbial diversity across soils with varying levels of MP contamination.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Soil microplastics pollution can reduce viral abundance and have less consistent impacts on bacteria

Researchers exposed soils containing natural microbial communities to polyethylene and PVC microplastics and found that both types consistently reduced viral abundance, while effects on bacteria were more variable, suggesting microplastic pollution may alter the balance of microbial communities that regulate soil processes.

2025 Applied Soil Ecology
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil microbiome: The impacts of polymer type, shape, and concentration

Researchers examined how different microplastic polymer types, shapes, and concentrations affected soil bacterial communities, finding that these physical characteristics induced distinct shifts in soil microbiome composition and diversity.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 215 citations
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

Plasticizers determine a deeper reshape of soil virome than microplastics

Researchers compared how microplastics and the common plasticizer diethyl phthalate independently affect soil viral communities, finding that the plasticizer caused a much more dramatic shift in viral diversity than the plastic particles themselves. Diethyl phthalate exposure led to a three-fold increase in viral genetic material and triggered widespread activation of dormant viruses within soil bacteria. The findings suggest that the chemical additives leaching from plastics may pose a greater threat to soil ecosystems than the physical plastic particles.

2025 Chemical Engineering Journal 3 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

Effect of Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics on Bacterial Community and Nutrient Status in Two Agricultural Soils

Polyvinyl chloride microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations did not broadly alter bacterial diversity in two agricultural soils over 35 days, but did significantly change available phosphorus levels and shifted the abundance of specific bacterial genera. The results suggest that microplastic pollution can subtly reshape nutrient cycling and microbial community composition in farmland soils.

2020 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 228 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

Soil microbial community parameters affected by microplastics and other plastic residues

Researchers conducted a meta-analysis examining how plastic residues, including microplastics, affect soil microbial communities. The study found that plastics accelerated soil organic carbon loss and reduced microbial biomass overall, with effects varying by polymer type: polyethylene decreased microbial richness while polypropylene increased it, and the impact on microbial activity followed a dose-response pattern with a turning point around 40 grams per kilogram of soil.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 31 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

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.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil viral–host interactions regulate microplastic-dependent carbon storage

Researchers discovered that microplastics in soil affect carbon storage by changing how viruses and bacteria interact underground. Non-biodegradable microplastics reduced soil carbon by over 17%, while biodegradable ones slightly increased it, through different effects on microbial communities. This matters for human health because soil carbon cycling influences agricultural productivity and the broader climate system.

2024 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 60 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

Impact of Microplastics on Soil's Biodiversity and Public Health

This book chapter reviews the impacts of microplastic pollution on soil biodiversity and public health, examining how plastic particles disrupt soil microbial communities, affect soil-dwelling invertebrates, and enter the human food chain through contaminated crops.

2025
Article Tier 2

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.

2020 Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences 196 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect soil bacterial community assembly more by their shapes rather than the concentrations

Researchers conducted a two-year field study examining how different shapes of polyethylene microplastics affect soil bacterial communities and found that shape matters more than concentration. Fiber and fragment-shaped microplastics caused the most significant changes in bacterial diversity and community structure compared to spherical or powder forms. The findings challenge the common assumption that microplastic concentration is the primary factor driving ecological impacts in soil.

2023 Water Research 112 citations
Article Tier 2

Responses of microbial communities to the addition of different types of microplastics in agricultural soils

Researchers conducted a 90-day soil incubation study to examine how four types of microplastics — polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate — affect agricultural soil properties and microbial communities. They found that all four types significantly altered soil enzyme activities, nutrient content, and the diversity of microbial populations. The study indicates that microplastic contamination in farmland can disrupt soil health in ways that may affect agricultural productivity.

2024 Environmental Pollution 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agricultural Soil

This book chapter surveys microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, reviewing the sources of plastic inputs, concentrations found in different farming systems, and the effects of MPs on soil properties, microbial communities, and crop yields.

2025
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
Article Tier 2

Effect of emerging contaminants on soil microbial community composition, soil enzyme activity, and strawberry plant growth in polyethylene microplastic-containing soils

Researchers found that emerging contaminants altered soil microbial community composition and enzyme activity, but these effects were suppressed when HDPE microplastics were also present in the soil, suggesting microplastics may modulate how soils respond to chemical contaminants.

2023 Environmental Science Advances 11 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