Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics change soil properties, heavy metal availability and bacterial community in a Pb-Zn-contaminated soil

This study found that adding six different types of microplastics to soil contaminated with lead and zinc changed the soil's chemistry, increased the availability of those toxic metals, and shifted the bacterial communities living in the soil. Higher doses of microplastics caused greater disruption, reducing microbial diversity and altering nutrient cycling. The findings suggest that microplastics in contaminated soil could make heavy metals more likely to enter plants and the food chain.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 497 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics on the microbial community structure of maize rhizosphere soil

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics from agricultural films affect the microbial communities in crop root zones (rhizosphere), finding shifts in bacterial diversity and function. Disrupting soil microbiomes through microplastic contamination could have downstream effects on soil fertility and crop health.

2021 中国生态农业学报 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics modify plant-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi systems in a Pb-Zn-contaminated soil

Researchers examined how six types of microplastics affect sweet sorghum growth and soil fungal communities in soil contaminated with lead and zinc. They found that microplastics generally did not inhibit plant growth and in some cases promoted it, but they increased the uptake of heavy metals into plant shoots. The study suggests that microplastics may worsen the risks of heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils by enhancing metal accumulation in crops.

2025 Applied Soil Ecology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic particles alter wheat rhizosphere soil microbial community composition and function

Researchers found that microplastic particles altered wheat rhizosphere soil microbial community composition and function, with different polymer types inducing distinct shifts in bacterial diversity and nutrient cycling processes.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 139 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in heavy metal-contaminated soil drives bacterial community and metabolic changes

Researchers found that adding common microplastics to soil already contaminated with heavy metals significantly changed the bacterial communities and their metabolic processes. The microplastics increased competition among bacteria and shifted how they process energy, while Proteobacteria became more abundant as a stress response. This matters because when microplastics and heavy metals combine in agricultural soil, they may disrupt the microbial ecosystems that keep soil healthy for growing food.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics alter soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem multifunctionality

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics at different concentrations affect soil microbial communities and overall ecosystem function in a maize growing system. They found that higher concentrations of microplastics shifted microbial community composition, reduced beneficial bacteria involved in nutrient cycling, and impaired multiple soil ecosystem functions simultaneously. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can undermine the biological processes that support healthy crop growth.

2023 Environment International 114 citations
Article Tier 2

Responses of Sorghum Growth and Rhizosphere–Plastisphere Microbiomes to Cadmium and Polypropylene Microplastic Co-Contamination

Researchers examined how combined cadmium and polypropylene microplastic contamination affects sorghum growth and the bacterial communities in both rhizosphere soil and on the plastic surfaces. They found that co-contamination inhibited sorghum development more severely than either pollutant alone, and the bacterial community on the plastic surface was structurally simpler with lower diversity than in surrounding soil. The study suggests that microplastics in contaminated soils can serve as distinct microbial habitats that differ significantly from the native soil environment.

2026 Agronomy
Article Tier 2

Potential impacts of polyethylene microplastics and heavy metals on Bidens pilosa L. growth: Shifts in root-associated endophyte microbial communities

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics in soil contaminated with heavy metals significantly stunted plant growth, reducing root length by nearly 49% and increasing harmful reactive oxygen species in plant tissues. The microplastics also shifted the soil's microbial communities toward stress-resistant species, demonstrating how plastic pollution can disrupt the soil ecosystem that supports our food supply.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 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

Interactions of microplastics and cadmium on plant growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in an agricultural soil

Researchers studied how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics interact with cadmium contamination to affect maize growth and beneficial soil fungi in agricultural soil. While polyethylene showed minimal direct plant toxicity, high doses of polylactic acid significantly reduced maize biomass, and both plastic types altered the communities of root-associated fungi. The study suggests that co-contamination of microplastics and heavy metals in farmland can jointly disrupt plant health and soil ecosystems.

2020 Chemosphere 643 citations
Article Tier 2

The “neighbor avoidance effect” of microplastics on bacterial and fungal diversity and communities in different soil horizons

Researchers analyzed microbial communities on microplastic surfaces and in surrounding soil from agricultural fields in Beijing, China. They found that microplastics reduced bacterial and fungal diversity on their surfaces compared to nearby soil, while selectively enriching microbes involved in plastic biodegradation and increasing the relative abundance of pathways related to disease.

2021 Environmental Science and Ecotechnology 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro plastic driving changes in the soil microbes and lettuce growth under the influence of heavy metals contaminated soil

Researchers studied how microplastics interact with heavy metals in contaminated soil and their combined effects on lettuce growth and soil bacteria. Different types of microplastics altered soil chemistry and changed which microbes thrived, sometimes making heavy metals more available to plants. The study suggests that microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil could affect both the safety and nutritional quality of leafy vegetables that people eat.

2024 Frontiers in Plant Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of polyethylene microplastics and lead (Pb) on the biomass, activity, and community diversity of soil microbes

A soil experiment found that polyethylene microplastics made lead (a toxic heavy metal) more available in soil and worsened its harmful effects on soil microorganisms. The combination reduced beneficial enzyme activity, lowered microbial efficiency, and shifted the soil microbial community, suggesting that microplastic pollution in contaminated soils could amplify heavy metal toxicity in ways that ultimately affect food crops and human health.

2024 Environmental Research 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined contamination of microplastic and antibiotic alters the composition of microbial community and metabolism in wheat and maize rhizosphere soil

A study found that when soil is contaminated with both microplastics and antibiotics together, the damage to wheat and maize seedlings is worse than from either contaminant alone, with increased root oxidative stress and disrupted soil bacterial communities. This combined contamination, common in agricultural soils treated with plastic mulch and livestock manure, could affect crop health and food quality.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on common bean rhizosphere bacterial communities

Researchers studied how polyethylene and biodegradable microplastics affect bacterial communities in the root zone of common beans. Both types of microplastics significantly altered the diversity and composition of rhizosphere bacteria, with biodegradable microplastics inducing more distinctive changes than conventional polyethylene at higher concentrations.

2022 Applied Soil Ecology 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect soybean rhizosphere microbial composition and function during vegetative and reproductive stages

Researchers conducted a 70-day greenhouse experiment to evaluate how four types of microplastics affect soybean rhizosphere bacterial communities in two soil types. The study found that polyamide microplastics consistently altered bacterial diversity and nitrogen cycling functions, while other plastic types had shorter-term effects, suggesting that different microplastics pose varying risks to agricultural soil microbial ecosystems.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Trigger Soil Dissolved Organic Carbon and Nutrient Turnover by Strengthening Microbial Network Connectivity and Cross-Trophic Interactions

This study found that polyethylene and PVC microplastics in agricultural soil significantly altered the microbial communities responsible for breaking down organic carbon and recycling nutrients. The microplastics strengthened connections between bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms in ways that accelerated carbon and nutrient turnover. These changes to fundamental soil processes could affect crop nutrition and long-term soil health on farms contaminated with microplastics.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Low-density polyethylene microplastics alter chemical properties and microbial communities in agricultural soil

Researchers found that adding low-density polyethylene microplastics to agricultural soil at concentrations of 1% and above significantly altered soil chemistry and bacterial community structure. The study suggests that microplastic contamination from plastic mulch and other agricultural inputs may shift microbial diversity in ways that could affect long-term soil health.

2023 Scientific Reports 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium co-contamination on the soybean-soil system: Integrated metabolic and rhizosphere microbial mechanisms

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics and cadmium interact in soybean-soil systems and found that specific microplastic concentrations enhanced cadmium accumulation in roots under moderate contamination. Higher microplastic levels reduced beneficial soil bacteria like Sphingomonas and Bradyrhizobium and suppressed nitrogen-cycling functions. The study demonstrates that microplastics fundamentally alter heavy metal behavior through interconnected plant-metabolite-microbe interactions in agricultural soils.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene Microplastic Particles Alter the Nature, Bacterial Community and Metabolite Profile of Reed Rhizosphere Soils

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastic particles alter the bacterial community composition, soil environmental factors, and metabolite profiles of reed rhizosphere soils, with effects increasing at higher microplastic concentrations and showing distinct interactions with reed biomass.

2023 Water 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging microplastic aggravates the pollution of heavy metals in rhizosphere biofilms

Researchers found that aging microplastics aggravate heavy metal pollution in rhizosphere biofilms, with weathered MPs accumulating more metals and altering microbial community structure in the root zone, potentially increasing contaminant transfer to plants.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Alteration of the Rhizosphere Microbiota and Growth Performance of Barley Infected with Fusarium graminearum and Screening of an Antagonistic Bacterial Strain (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens)

Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastics alter the rhizosphere microbiome and growth performance of barley infected with a root pathogen, finding that MP contamination shifted microbial community composition and exacerbated disease symptoms in infected plants.

2025 Microorganisms
Article Tier 2

Microplastics drive microbial assembly, their interactions, and metagenomic functions in two soils with distinct pH and heavy metal availability

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect soil microbial communities and their functions in two different soil types, one acidic and one neutral. They found that microplastics altered bacterial and fungal community composition and disrupted genes involved in carbon cycling, nitrogen metabolism, and pollutant degradation, with effects varying between the two soil types. The study reveals that soil characteristics like pH and existing heavy metal contamination play a significant role in determining how microplastics impact underground ecosystems.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of soil microplastic contamination on maize (Zea mays) development and microbial dynamics

Researchers grew maize (corn) in soil contaminated with varying amounts of microplastics and found that higher microplastic levels disrupted soil bacteria and fungi, caused leaf damage like yellowing and tissue death, and led to elevated heavy metals in plant tissue above safe limits. The results point to serious risks microplastics pose to crop health, soil ecosystems, and food safety.

2024 Discover Environment 3 citations