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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of soil microplastic heterogeneity on plant growth vary with species and microplastic types
ClearSoil 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.
Multifaceted effects of microplastics on soil-plant systems: Exploring the role of particle type and plant species
Researchers tested how three different types of microplastics — fibers, fragments, and spheres — affect soil properties and vegetable growth. The effects varied significantly depending on both the type of plastic and the plant species, with some microplastics actually promoting root growth in certain vegetables. These mixed results highlight that the impact of microplastic contamination on food crops is complex and depends on the specific conditions in each field.
Microplastic additions modulate intraspecific variability in root traits and mycorrhizal responses across root‐life history strategies
Researchers examined how environmentally relevant mixtures of microplastics affect root traits and mycorrhizal fungal colonization across six plant species with different root strategies. They found that microplastic effects varied significantly between plant families and individual species, with some showing increased variability in root characteristics. The study highlights that microplastic impacts on plant-soil interactions depend heavily on the specific plant species and its root life strategy.
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.
Microplastic shape, concentration and polymer type affect soil properties and plant biomass
Experiments showed that microplastic shape, concentration, and polymer type all influence soil physical properties and plant biomass, with certain types reducing plant growth. The findings highlight that the wide variety of plastic particle types entering soils creates complex and variable ecological risks.
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.
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.
Plants forage for soil patches free of plastic pollution but cannot bag the profits
A multispecies experiment with 29 herbaceous plant species found that plants actively forage away from soil patches containing microplastics, but this avoidance did not translate into growth benefits, suggesting plants can detect but cannot fully escape microplastic contamination.
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.
Legacy effect of microplastics on plant–soil feedbacks
Researchers examined the legacy effects of microplastic contamination on plant-soil feedbacks using soil previously conditioned with various microplastic types, finding that residual microplastics altered soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling in ways that affected subsequent plant growth.
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 Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance
Researchers tested six different types of microplastics in soil and found that they altered key soil properties including water-holding capacity, bulk density, and microbial activity. These changes in soil structure had cascading effects on plant growth, with some microplastic types reducing above-ground biomass. The study demonstrates that microplastics can fundamentally change how soil functions, with consequences for plant health and ecosystem stability.
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.
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.
Vertical distribution of microplastics in soil affects plant response to microplastics.
Researchers tested whether the vertical distribution of microplastics in soil—homogeneous versus layered at different depths—affects plant growth differently than uniformly mixed exposure, using spring onions in greenhouse experiments. Distribution pattern significantly influenced shoot and root mass outcomes, showing that standard lab protocols using uniform mixing may not reflect real-world impacts accurately.
Microplastics Have Widely Varying Effects on Soil
Researchers found that microplastic concentrations as low as 0.4% alter soil drainage, with potential downstream consequences for crop growth and plant productivity.
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.
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.
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.
Impact of Polystyrene Microplastics on Soil Properties, Microbial Diversity and Solanum lycopersicum L. Growth in Meadow Soils
Researchers tested how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect tomato plant growth and soil microbes. Surprisingly, some microplastic treatments boosted plant growth and soil nutrients, while others reduced microbial diversity and disrupted soil community networks. The mixed results show that microplastic effects on agriculture are complex and depend on particle size and concentration, making it difficult to predict how contaminated soil will affect food crops.
Microplastic effects on plants
This perspective paper proposed mechanistic pathways through which microplastics could affect plant growth positively or negatively, including effects on soil structure, water availability, nutrient cycling, and root-microbe interactions. The authors argue that plant species and plastic type will determine the direction of effects, and call for dedicated research to fill a major gap in terrestrial microplastic science.
Effects of plastic fragments on plant performance are mediated by soil properties and drought
Researchers found that plastic fragments reduced soil water content and negatively affected Arabidopsis thaliana growth, with effects most pronounced under drought conditions and dependent on soil texture, suggesting plastic pollution and water stress interact to compound harm to plants.
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.
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.