Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic in Terrestrial Ecosystems and the Soil?

This review examined the occurrence and behavior of microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems and soils, questioning how particles move through and accumulate in soils and calling for more research on land-based microplastic impacts.

2012 Environmental Science & Technology 1520 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in soils, plants, and animals: A review of distributions, effects and potential mechanisms

This review covers the distribution and effects of microplastics in soils, plants, and animals, examining how plastic pollution moves through terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics in soil can alter microbial communities, reduce plant growth, and accumulate in animals that ingest contaminated food or water. The review highlights that land-based microplastic pollution is as serious a concern as ocean contamination and poses direct risks to agriculture and human food safety.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 223 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems: sources, transport, fate, mitigation, and remediation strategies

This review examines how microplastics from urban, agricultural, and industrial sources are building up in soils worldwide. Wind, water, and soil organisms transport these particles across landscapes, where they persist and can affect soil structure and the health of living things. The authors highlight that land-based microplastic pollution has received far less attention than ocean pollution, despite its potential risks to ecosystems and human health through the food chain.

2025 Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of Particulate Plastics in Terrestrial Ecosystems

This book chapter reviews the distribution and effects of micro- and nanoplastic particles (called particulate plastics) in terrestrial ecosystems, tracing how industrial and agricultural activities drive their accumulation in soil and land environments. It identifies particulate plastics as a growing threat to both human and animal health.

2020 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The extent and impacts of soil pollution by microplastics

This study examines the extent and impacts of soil pollution by microplastics, reviewing evidence of how microplastic particles accumulate in terrestrial environments and affect soil ecosystems, organisms, and agricultural systems.

2024 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Recent advances on ecological effects of microplastics on soil environment

This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the ecological effects of microplastics on soil environments. Researchers found that soils serve as major sinks for microplastics, which can alter soil properties, affect plant growth, disrupt soil microbial communities, and interact with other pollutants. The study highlights that terrestrial microplastic pollution may be even more pervasive than aquatic contamination and warrants greater research attention.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 322 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Terrestrial Systems

This review summarizes the current understanding of micro- and nanoplastic contamination in terrestrial ecosystems, which have received far less research attention than aquatic environments. Researchers examined how these particles enter soils through agricultural practices, sewage sludge application, and atmospheric deposition, and how they affect soil organisms and plant growth. The study highlights that terrestrial systems may be a major reservoir of plastic pollution with ecological consequences that are only beginning to be understood.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Soils in distress: The impacts and ecological risks of (micro)plastic pollution in the terrestrial environment

This review examines how microplastics affect soil ecosystems, including their transport into soils, changes they undergo in the environment, and their interactions with soil organisms. The effects depend heavily on the type, shape, size, and amount of plastic particles present. Understanding these impacts is important because soil contamination with microplastics can affect food production and ultimately human exposure through the food chain.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental fate and impacts of microplastics in soil ecosystems: Progress and perspective

This review summarized knowledge on microplastics in soil environments, covering occurrence across agricultural, industrial, and urban soils, transport pathways, and ecological risks to soil organisms and plant communities. The authors identify key data gaps and methodological challenges that currently limit understanding of microplastic fate and impact in terrestrial systems.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 509 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the terrestrial environment: A critical review

This review summarizes what is known about microplastic contamination in land-based environments, covering sources, fate, and effects on soil and the organisms that depend on it. Microplastics in soil can interact with pesticides, heavy metals, and other pollutants, acting as carriers that move toxins through the food web and potentially up to humans. The authors note that compared to ocean research, the effects of microplastics on land ecosystems are much less studied and urgently need more attention.

2022 Environmental Research 348 citations
Article Tier 2

Origin and Effects of Microplastics on Soil Health, Microbial Community and Plants

This review covers the origins, migration pathways, and ecological effects of microplastics in soil ecosystems, synthesizing research on impacts to soil health, microbial communities, plant growth, and trophic transfer through food chains. The authors highlight the relatively limited understanding of soil microplastic ecology compared to aquatic environments.

2024 Indian Journal of Pure & Applied Biosciences
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of Microplastics in Agroecosystems and Its Effects on Terrestrial Plants: A Short Review

This review examines how microplastics accumulate in agricultural ecosystems and affect terrestrial plants, finding evidence of uptake into plant tissues, disruption of germination and growth, and potential entry into the food chain through crops. The authors highlight significant knowledge gaps regarding microplastic sources, pathways, and long-term impacts in agricultural soils.

2023 Current Applied Science and Technology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro Plastic Pollution in Soil Environment: A Comprehensive Review

This comprehensive review covers sources, distribution, degradation pathways, and ecological effects of microplastics in soil environments, highlighting threats to soil fauna, microbiota, and plant growth.

2024 Journal of Scientific Research and Reports 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as Emerging Soil Pollutants

This review covers how microplastics enter and accumulate in soils, their effects on soil health, microbial communities, soil fauna, and plant growth, and the implications of widespread soil plastic contamination for ecosystem function.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in soil environment – a review

This review examines the sources, transport, degradation, and ecological impacts of microplastic contamination in soil environments. The study suggests that soil acts as both a major sink for microplastics and a conduit transporting them to aquatic systems, and that microplastics can negatively affect soil organisms and biogeochemistry, underscoring the need for more research on terrestrial microplastic pollution.

2021 Soil Science Annual 95 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil environment and land plant growth: a review

This review examines how microplastics affect soil quality and plant growth through both direct toxicity and indirect changes to soil properties. Researchers found that microplastics can accumulate in plant tissues after entering the soil and may transfer through the food chain. The study highlights that soil microplastic contamination is a growing ecological concern that remains understudied compared to marine environments.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on terrestrial ecosystems: A plant-centric perspective

This review focuses on how microplastics affect plants and soil health in agricultural settings, an area that has received less attention than marine microplastic pollution. The researchers describe how microplastics can alter soil structure, disrupt microbial communities, and enter plant tissues through unique transport mechanisms. The study highlights that agricultural soils are a major sink for microplastics, with potential consequences for food safety and crop productivity.

2024 Environmental Pollution and Management 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystems: Global implications and sustainable solutions

This review examines microplastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystems, an area that has received far less attention than ocean plastic pollution despite soil being a major sink for these contaminants. The study covers how microplastics interact with other soil pollutants, affect plant growth and soil health, and discusses both policy solutions and practical removal methods to reduce the amount of microplastics that enter the food chain.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 182 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the ecosystems: Impacts on environmental sustainability

This review examines the widespread contamination of ecosystems by microplastics, discussing how MPs from agricultural inputs and plastic containers accumulate in soil, water, and organisms, posing significant ecological and health risks.

2025 Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in terrestrial environments: Reviewing current understanding to determine the positive and negative aspects of soil

This review examines microplastics in terrestrial soils, covering their sources, distribution, and effects on soil health and organisms. It finds both negative impacts on soil function and organisms, as well as some neutral or context-dependent effects, and identifies key areas for future research.

2023 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Environmental and Experimental Botany 144 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Contamination in the Environment: An Ecotoxicological Concern

This review examines the sources, distribution, and toxic effects of microplastics across terrestrial and aquatic environments. The authors summarize evidence that microplastics harm a wide range of organisms by causing physical injury, delivering chemical pollutants, and disrupting ecosystem processes.

2021 International Journal of Zoological Investigations 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of micro- and nanoplastics on terrestrial food web from plants to human beings

This review examined the ecotoxicological effects of micro- and nanoplastics across the terrestrial food web, from plants to humans. Researchers found that plants can take up these particles through roots and leaves, soil organisms are affected by altered soil properties, and the potential for transfer through the food chain raises concerns about human dietary exposure to micro- and nanoplastics.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Source, migration and toxicology of microplastics in soil

This review compiles research on the sources, movement, and toxic effects of microplastics in soil ecosystems, an area that has received less attention than aquatic pollution. Researchers describe how microplastics enter soil through agricultural practices, wastewater, and atmospheric deposition, then transfer through food chains to affect organisms at multiple levels. The study identifies major knowledge gaps and proposes management strategies to mitigate the ecological and human health risks of soil microplastic contamination.

2020 Environment International 1141 citations