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, Fertilization and Pesticides on Alien and Native Plants
ClearEffect of microplastics on the allelopathic effects of native and invasive plants on co-occurring invaders
Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics in soil enhanced the growth of both native and invasive plant species under competitive and non-competitive conditions. The microplastics also induced negative allelopathic effects from the native plant Achyranthes on neighboring plants, mediated through changes in leaf chemistry. The study suggests that microplastic pollution could alter competitive dynamics between native and invasive species by modifying plant chemical interactions.
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.
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.
Microplastic and drought influence the positive effect of plant diversity on plant biomass production
Researchers conducted a glasshouse experiment examining how microplastic pollution interacts with drought to affect plant biomass production across a gradient of plant diversity, finding that microplastics influenced the positive biodiversity-productivity relationship. The study reveals that microplastic pollution is a novel stressor that interacts with drought to affect terrestrial ecosystem functionality in ways not predictable from single-factor experiments.
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.
The promoting effects of soil microplastics on alien plant invasion depend on microplastic shape and concentration
A greenhouse experiment showed that soil microplastic pollution can help invasive plant species outcompete native plants. The invasive goldenrod grew better in soil contaminated with certain shapes and concentrations of polyethylene microplastics, while the native species was less affected. This suggests that microplastic pollution in soil could worsen the spread of invasive plants, with knock-on effects for ecosystems and agriculture.
Microplastic and drought influence the positive effect of plant diversity on plant biomass production
Researchers found that microplastic pollution and drought stress each reduced the positive effect of plant diversity on biomass production, with their combined presence further weakening this relationship in a glasshouse experiment across plant communities of varying diversity.
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.
Artificial 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.
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.
High invader density alone drives invasive plant dominance, but its impacts on native community biomass and diversity depend on nutrients and microplastics
A mesocosm experiment using invasive aquatic plants found that high invader density is the main driver of invasive species dominance in freshwater systems, but the impact on native plant diversity and productivity depends on whether the water is also enriched with nutrients or contaminated with microplastics. This study highlights that microplastic pollution can interact with other stressors like nutrient runoff to shape how biological invasions unfold in freshwater ecosystems, with cascading consequences for native plant communities.
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.
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.
Soil nutrient heterogeneity alters productivity and diversity of experimental plant communities under multiple global change factors
This paper is not about microplastics — it examines how soil nutrient heterogeneity interacts with multiple global change factors (such as drought or elevated CO2) to influence the productivity and species diversity of plant communities in outdoor mesocosm experiments.
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.
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.
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.
Artificial particles and soil communities interactively change heterospecific plant-soil feedbacks
This greenhouse experiment tested how microplastics in soil affect the way plants interact with their soil environment — specifically "plant-soil feedbacks," where a plant's past presence shapes how well future plants grow in the same soil. Microplastics (along with glass particles as a comparison) strengthened these feedback effects, and the impacts were most pronounced when the soil microbial community was depleted. Different types of microplastics produced different outcomes, suggesting that soil biology mediates microplastic effects on plant communities. The study highlights that microplastics could alter vegetation dynamics and ecosystem recovery in ways we are only beginning to understand.
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.
Microplastics amplify the invasive potential of Flavidium bidentis in invaded communities
Researchers examined how microplastics affect the competitive interactions and invasive potential of Flavidium bidentis in native plant communities, measuring growth traits and interspecific relationships across microplastic exposure treatments. Results indicated that microplastics amplified the invasive advantage of F. bidentis over native species, raising concern that widespread soil microplastic contamination may accelerate plant invasions.
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.
Effects of Microplastic Fibers and Drought on Plant Communities
Researchers added microplastic fibers to plant communities and applied drought stress, finding that microfibers reduced total community productivity and shifted species composition, with combined microplastic-drought stress causing greater harm than either factor alone.
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.
Microplastic and drought influence the positive effect of plant diversity on plant biomass production
Researchers conducted a glasshouse experiment assembling grassland plant communities across diversity gradients and exposing them to microplastic and drought treatments, finding that drought significantly weakened the positive diversity-biomass relationship through negative complementarity effects, while microplastics tended to reduce this relationship by suppressing grass and legume shoot biomass, though microplastics partially alleviated drought-induced biomass losses in legumes.