Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on nitrogen and phosphorus cycles and microbial communities in sediments

Researchers found that PVC, PLA, and polypropylene microplastics altered nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in freshwater sediments by shifting microbial community composition, with effects varying by polymer type and biodegradability.

2022 Environmental Pollution 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Laboratory tidal microcosm deciphers responses of sediment archaeal and bacterial communities to microplastic exposure

Researchers used a laboratory tidal simulation to study how different types of microplastics affect microbial communities in intertidal sediments over 30 days. They found that biodegradable plastics like polylactic acid significantly shifted both archaeal and bacterial community structures, particularly at higher concentrations. The study suggests that even so-called biodegradable plastics can substantially alter the microbial ecosystems in coastal sediment environments.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect organic nitrogen in sediment: The response of organic nitrogen mineralization to microbes and benthic animals

Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics affect organic nitrogen cycling in sediments, measuring the responses of key nitrogen-transforming microorganisms. They found microplastics alter the composition of organic nitrogen and suppress certain nitrogen cycling processes.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect sedimentary microbial communities and nitrogen cycling

A microcosm experiment showed that microplastics added to salt marsh sediment altered microbial community composition and disrupted nitrogen cycling, including reduced denitrification rates, suggesting that microplastic contamination could impair important biogeochemical functions.

2020 Nature Communications 1095 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling microplastic's role in nitrogen cycling: Metagenomic insights from estuarine sediment microcosms

Researchers used metagenomic analysis to examine how polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics affect nitrogen cycling in estuarine sediments. They found that microplastics altered the abundance of genes involved in key nitrogen transformation processes like nitrification and denitrification. The study reveals that microplastic pollution in estuaries may disrupt important biogeochemical cycles that support aquatic ecosystem health.

2024 Environmental Pollution 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Community Dynamics and Biogeochemical Cycling in Microplastic-Contaminated Sediment

This review summarizes current research on how microplastics alter microbial communities and nutrient cycling processes in sediments at the bottom of water bodies. Researchers found that the effects depend on the type of plastic, exposure duration, and the specific sediment environment, with biodegradable plastics causing the most significant changes. The study highlights that microplastics in sediments can reshape the microbial ecosystems that drive essential biogeochemical processes like carbon and nitrogen cycling.

2025 Nanomaterials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastic and soil nitrogen dynamics: Unraveling the links between functional genes, microbial communities, and transformation processes

Researchers conducted a six-month experiment to understand how polyethylene microplastics in soil affect nitrogen cycling, a process critical for soil fertility and plant nutrition. They found that while total nitrogen levels stayed stable, microplastics significantly altered the forms of nitrogen present by increasing ammonium and nitrate while decreasing dissolved organic nitrogen. The study suggests that microplastics reshape soil microbial communities and their nitrogen-processing activities, potentially disrupting the natural nutrient balance in agricultural soils.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 102 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Discrepancy strategies of sediment abundant and rare microbial communities in response to floating microplastic disturbances: Study using a microcosmic experiment

Using microcosm experiments with fluvial sediment exposed to four plastic types, researchers found that floating microplastics altered sediment microbial diversity and reduced bacteria involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling. Abundant microbial taxa were more sensitive to microplastic disturbance than rare taxa, and microplastics decreased network complexity and increased negative species interactions in microbial communities.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 46 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Diversity as a Potential Driver of Soil Denitrification Shifts

Researchers conducted a soil microcosm experiment to study how the diversity of microplastic types (rather than just individual types) affects soil ecosystem functions. They found that increasing microplastic diversity raised soil pH and organic carbon while reducing available nitrogen, and significantly boosted bacterial diversity and denitrifying gene abundance. The findings suggest that realistic mixtures of multiple microplastic types in soil may have stronger impacts on nitrogen cycling than single-type contamination.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradability of microplastics reshapes surface biofilm microbial community structure and nitrogen cycling functions in aquatic environments

Researchers compared how biodegradable (PLA) and non-biodegradable (polyethylene and PVC) microplastics affect the microbial communities that form on their surfaces in aquatic environments, finding substantial differences in which bacteria colonized each plastic type and how they processed nitrogen. PLA supported communities rich in nitrogen-cycling bacteria, while PVC and polyethylene enriched different microbial groups associated with pollutant degradation. The study suggests that the push toward biodegradable plastics will change — not just reduce — the ecological effects of microplastics in rivers and lakes.

2026 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 74 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of PE and PLA Microplastics on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Elements in Sediments of Zhalong Wetland].

A controlled lab experiment tested how adding polyethylene (PE) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics at different concentrations affected nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in wetland sediments from China's Zhalong wetland. Both microplastic types significantly reduced available nitrogen and phosphorus in the sediment, with effects depending on concentration and microplastic type. These nutrient disruptions could impair the productivity of wetland ecosystems and alter water quality in connected water bodies.

2026 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms of polyethylene microplastics on microbial community assembly and carbon-nitrogen transformation potentials in soils with different textures

Researchers used DNA sequencing to examine how polyethylene microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon-nitrogen cycling across soils with different textures. They found that microplastics significantly shifted microbial community composition and altered the abundance of genes involved in carbon and nitrogen transformation, with effects varying by soil type. The study suggests that microplastic contamination may disrupt fundamental nutrient cycling processes differently depending on soil characteristics.

2025 Environmental Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulation of the effects of microplastics on the microbial community structure and nitrogen cycle of paddy soil

Researchers tested how three types of microplastics affect microbial communities and nitrogen cycling in paddy soil. They found that polylactic acid microplastics significantly altered soil bacterial diversity and shifted community structure, while PET and PVC had less pronounced effects. The study suggests that different types of microplastics may influence soil health and nutrient cycling in distinct ways, which matters for agricultural sustainability.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 110 citations
Article Tier 2

Intertidal Concentrations of Microplastics and Their Influence on Ammonium Cycling as Related to the Shellfish Industry

Researchers determined the concentration and spatial distribution of microplastics in intertidal sediments at shellfish aquaculture sites and investigated their influence on ammonium cycling, finding that elevated microplastic concentrations altered nitrogen processing by benthic microbial communities. The results suggest microplastics at aquaculture densities may disrupt sediment nutrient dynamics with potential implications for shellfish productivity.

2015 Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 112 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of polyamide microplastic in altering microbial consortium and carbon and nitrogen cycles in a simulated agricultural soil microcosm

Researchers added polyamide microplastics to simulated agricultural soil and tracked their effects on microbial communities and nutrient cycling over time. They found that microplastics altered the composition of soil bacteria and disrupted both carbon and nitrogen cycling processes. The study highlights how microplastic contamination in farmland can affect the invisible but essential microbial processes that maintain soil health and fertility.

2022 Chemosphere 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter microbial structure and assembly processes in different soil types: Driving effects of environmental factors

Researchers investigated how biodegradable polylactic acid and conventional polyethylene microplastics affect soil microbial communities across different soil types. They found that PLA increased dissolved organic carbon and pH while decreasing nitrogen availability, whereas polyethylene had contrasting effects depending on soil type. The study reveals that microplastic impacts on microbial community structure and assembly processes are soil-type-specific, with dissolved organic carbon driving changes in red soil and pH being the primary factor in fluvo-aquic soil.

2025 Environmental Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter nitrous oxide production and pathways through affecting microbiome in estuarine sediments

Researchers found that both petroleum-based and biodegradable microplastics increased nitrous oxide production in estuarine sediments, with biodegradable polylactic acid plastics showing greater effects by altering microbial nitrogen cycling pathways.

2022 Water Research 150 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics interfere with the nutrient cycle in water-plant-sediment systems

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect nutrient cycling in freshwater systems containing submerged plants and sediment. They found that the microplastics significantly reduced nitrogen and carbon content in plant leaves and disrupted the microbial communities in sediment responsible for nutrient processing. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can interfere with fundamental biogeochemical cycles that maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems.

2022 Water Research 122 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic biofilms as potential hotspots for plastic biodegradation and nitrogen cycling: a metagenomic perspective

Researchers used genetic analysis to study the microbial communities that form biofilms on different types of microplastics in an estuarine environment. They found that these plastic-associated communities contained genes for both plastic degradation and nitrogen cycling, suggesting the biofilms may play dual roles in the ecosystem. The study indicates that microplastic surfaces in waterways create unique microbial habitats that could influence both pollution breakdown and nutrient processing.

2025 FEMS Microbiology Ecology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Time-dependent effects of microplastics on soil bacteriome

Researchers studied how six common types of microplastics affect soil bacteria over time at realistic contamination levels. The effects were slow to appear due to the chemical stability of plastics, but over time, microplastics altered bacterial community structure and soil functions in ways that differed by plastic type. This matters because changes to soil bacteria can affect nutrient cycling and crop health, with potential downstream effects on food quality.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Warming alters temporal patterns of microbial-mediated nitrogen cycling under microplastics stress in intertidal sediment ecosystems

Researchers incubated intertidal sediment microcosms with polyethylene microplastics at two temperatures (25 and 30 degrees C) to examine how warming interacts with microplastics to alter microbial nitrogen cycling. Elevated temperature and microplastic concentrations disrupted key nitrogen-cycling functions, with metagenomic analysis revealing shifts in functional gene composition that could affect coastal nutrient dynamics.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials