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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to The Structural and Functional Responses of Rhizosphere Bacteria to Biodegradable Microplastics in the Presence of Biofertilizers
ClearMulti-omics reveals different impact patterns of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on the crop rhizosphere in a biofertilizer environment
Researchers used advanced multi-omics techniques to compare how conventional polyethylene microplastics and biodegradable plastic microplastics affect the root zone of crops grown with biofertilizer. They found that both types disrupted the soil microbial community, but through different mechanisms, with biodegradable plastics unexpectedly causing more changes to the bacterial community structure. The study suggests that even biodegradable agricultural plastics may interfere with the effectiveness of biofertilizers in soil.
Differential responses of soil microbial community structure and function to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Scientists compared how tiny pieces of regular plastics and "biodegradable" plastics affect helpful bacteria in soil after 6 months. They found that biodegradable plastics actually disrupted soil bacteria more than regular plastics, changing the microbes that help plants grow and cycle nutrients. This matters because these soil bacteria are crucial for growing healthy food, so switching to biodegradable plastics might not be the simple environmental solution we hoped for.
Insights into soil microbial assemblages and nitrogen cycling function responses to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Researchers compared how biodegradable polylactic acid and conventional PVC microplastics affect soil bacteria and nitrogen cycling processes. They found that both types of microplastics altered microbial communities, but biodegradable plastics had distinct effects on nitrogen-processing bacteria and did not simply behave as a harmless alternative. The study suggests that switching to biodegradable plastics may change rather than eliminate the impact of microplastic contamination on soil health.
Unravelling the ecological ramifications of biodegradable microplastics in soil environment: A systematic review
Researchers reviewed 85 studies on biodegradable microplastics in soil, finding that when biodegradable plastics fail to fully break down they can disrupt soil structure, nutrient cycling, and microbial life in ways that depend heavily on concentration and plastic type. The review highlights that "biodegradable" plastics are not a simple fix for microplastic pollution in agricultural soils.
Discrepant soil microbial community and C cycling function responses to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Scientists compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon cycling. Researchers found that the two types of microplastics had markedly different effects, with biodegradable plastics causing more changes to microbial community structure and carbon-related gene activity. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics, while designed to be more environmentally friendly, may still significantly alter soil biology.
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.
The plastisphere of biodegradable and conventional microplastics from residues exhibit distinct microbial structure, network and function in plastic-mulching farmland
Researchers compared the bacterial communities that colonize biodegradable and conventional plastic microplastics in farmland soil. They found that biodegradable plastics (PBAT/PLA) and conventional polyethylene each attracted distinct microbial communities with different functions, including bacteria that could degrade plastics or cycle nutrients. The results suggest that even biodegradable plastics create unique microbial environments in soil that may affect soil health and function in unexpected ways.
Microbes drive metabolism, community diversity, and interactions in response to microplastic-induced nutrient imbalance
Researchers investigated how conventional and biodegradable microplastics alter soil nutrient balances and the resulting effects on microbial metabolism, community diversity, and species interactions. The study found that microplastic-induced nutrient imbalances significantly influenced soil microbial processes, with different types of microplastics producing distinct effects on carbon and nitrogen cycling.
Distinct influence of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on microbe-driving nitrogen cycling processes in soils and plastispheres as evaluated by metagenomic analysis
Researchers compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable microplastics affect nitrogen cycling by soil microbes. They found that biodegradable microplastics caused stronger changes to microbial communities and nitrogen processing pathways than conventional plastics, particularly by enriching certain bacteria on their surfaces. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastic mulch alternatives may significantly alter soil nutrient cycling in agricultural settings.
Soil microorganisms play an important role in the detrimental impact of biodegradable microplastics on plants
Researchers found that biodegradable microplastics harmed vegetable crop growth by disrupting the soil microbial community rather than through direct contact with the plants. When soil microorganisms were suppressed, the negative effects of the biodegradable microplastics on plant growth were also reduced. The study suggests that soil bacteria and fungi play a key role in mediating the harmful impacts of biodegradable plastics on agricultural crops.
Microplastic induces microbial nitrogen limitation further alters microbial nitrogentransformation: Insights from metagenomic analysis
Researchers studied how both conventional and biodegradable microplastics affect nitrogen cycling in soil over 120 days. They found that biodegradable microplastics significantly disrupted microbial nitrogen processes by acting as a carbon source that shifted bacterial communities toward nitrogen-fixing species. The findings suggest that even biodegradable plastics in soil can alter nutrient availability in ways that may affect soil fertility and plant growth.
Influence of biodegradable microplastics on soil carbon cycling: Insights from soil respiration, enzyme activity, carbon use efficiency and microbial community
Researchers investigated how biodegradable microplastics affect carbon cycling in soil by measuring respiration, enzyme activity, and microbial communities over 64 days. They found that certain biodegradable plastics, particularly polyhydroxyalkanoates, dramatically increased soil carbon emissions by up to 665% and significantly altered microbial community structure. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can substantially disrupt soil ecosystem processes when they break down into microplastic-sized particles.
Succession of soil bacterial communities and network patterns in response to conventional and biodegradable microplastics: A microcosmic study in Mollisol
Using a soil microcosm experiment, researchers compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable microplastics affected soil bacterial communities over 90 days across four dosages. Biodegradable microplastics induced greater community dissimilarity from controls and tended to enrich environmentally beneficial taxa, while conventional polyethylene promoted potentially hazardous bacteria.
Regulatory path for soil microbial communities depends on the type and dose of microplastics
Researchers compared how six types of microplastics at different concentrations affect soil microbial communities, testing both conventional and biodegradable plastics. They found that biodegradable microplastics had a greater impact on soil carbon and nitrogen levels than conventional ones, and that the type and dose of microplastic determined which microbial groups were most affected. The findings suggest that even so-called biodegradable plastics can significantly alter soil ecosystems when they break down into microplastic-sized particles.
Deciphering the effects of long-term exposure to conventional and biodegradable microplastics on the soil microbiome
This study compared how conventional and biodegradable microplastics affect soil microbes over long time periods and found that both types significantly changed soil microbial communities and disrupted carbon and nitrogen cycling after extended exposure. Biodegradable plastics, often marketed as eco-friendly, actually released more chemical byproducts than conventional plastics, which matters because these soil changes can affect the food we grow.
Microbial resistance in rhizosphere hotspots under biodegradable and non-degradable microplastic amendment: Community and functional sensitivity
Researchers examined microbial community and functional sensitivity in rhizosphere hotspots amended with biodegradable and non-degradable microplastics, assessing how different polymer types affect microbial resistance and functional diversity in agricultural soils.
Biodegradable microplastics decreased plant-derived and increased microbial-derived carbon formation in soil: a two-year field trial
A two-year field experiment compared the effects of conventional (polypropylene) and biodegradable (polylactic acid, PLA) microplastics on soil carbon cycling in agricultural soil. Researchers found that while neither plastic type changed total soil carbon levels, PLA microplastics significantly reduced plant-derived carbon (lignin) by 32% while boosting microbial-derived carbon, suggesting that "biodegradable" plastics still meaningfully alter soil biology and chemistry. This matters because it challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are environmentally benign once they break down in farmland.
Biodegradable and conventional microplastics exhibit distinct microbiome, functionality, and metabolome changes in soil
Researchers compared the effects of conventional plastics (polyethylene and polystyrene) and biodegradable plastics (polylactide and polybutylene succinate) on soil microbial communities. They found that both types of microplastics significantly altered soil microbial composition, but biodegradable microplastics had a more pronounced impact on soil metabolic function and microbial activity than conventional ones.
Biodegradable Polyesters and Low Molecular Weight Polyethylene in Soil: Interrelations of Material Properties, Soil Organic Matter Substances, and Microbial Community
Researchers examined how biodegradable polyesters and low molecular weight polyethylene behave in soil environments, investigating their interactions with soil organic matter and microbial communities over time. They found that both biodegradable and conventional polymer microplastics alter soil microbial community composition and interact with organic matter fractions, with biodegradable plastics showing distinct but not necessarily more benign effects than conventional plastics.
Nonlinear microbial nutrient limitation responses to biodegradable vs. conventional microplastics under long-term agricultural management
Researchers sampled long-term agricultural plots to compare how biodegradable and conventional microplastics affect microbial nutrient limitation in soil. Both types of MPs altered microbial metabolism, with biodegradable MPs in some cases causing greater disruption to nutrient cycling than conventional plastics.
Soil C-N and microbial community were altered by polybutylene adipate terephthalate microplastics
Researchers investigated how biodegradable polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) microplastics affect soil carbon, nitrogen, and microbial communities in soils planted with soybean and maize. The study found that PBAT microplastics significantly altered dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen levels, increased microbial biomass, and shifted bacterial and fungal community composition, suggesting that even biodegradable microplastics may disrupt soil nutrient cycling in plant-specific ways.
Effect of different polymers of microplastics on soil organic carbon and nitrogen – A mesocosm experiment
Researchers found that adding polyethylene and biodegradable microplastics to agricultural soil altered carbon and nitrogen dynamics, with biodegradable microplastics having stronger effects on soil organic carbon decomposition and nutrient cycling than conventional plastics.
A review of the occurrence and degradation of biodegradable microplastics in soil environments
This review evaluates whether the shift from conventional plastics to biodegradable plastics is truly beneficial for the environment, particularly regarding microplastic formation in soils. Researchers found that biodegradable plastics actually form residual microplastics at a faster rate than conventional plastics, and these particles can negatively affect soil properties, microbial communities, and plant growth. The study suggests the environmental trade-offs of biodegradable plastics deserve closer scrutiny.
Unraveling consequences of soil micro- and nano-plastic pollution on soil-plant system: Implications for nitrogen (N) cycling and soil microbial activity
This review examines how micro- and nano-plastics affect soil microbial activity and nitrogen cycling in agricultural ecosystems, finding mixed effects that depend on polymer type and size. The authors highlight concerns about biodegradable plastics posing greater risks to plant growth than conventional plastics, complicating the assumption that biodegradable options are always safer.