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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Multi-Trophic Species Diversity Contributes to the Restoration of Soil Multifunctionality in Degraded Karst Forests through Cascading Effects
ClearSoil Microbial Communities in Pseudotsuga sinensis Forests with Different Degrees of Rocky Desertification in the Karst Region, Southwest China
Researchers studied how increasing levels of rocky desertification in karst forests in southwest China affect soil microbial communities. They found that bacterial diversity declined significantly as desertification worsened, while fungal communities showed more resilience. Key soil properties including pH, organic carbon, and available nitrogen were identified as the main drivers shaping these microbial community shifts.
Pioneer plants enhance soil multifunctionality by reshaping underground multitrophic community during natural succession of an abandoned rare earth mine tailing
Researchers studied natural plant colonization of an abandoned rare earth mine and found that pioneer plants increased soil multifunctionality by up to 525% by reshaping underground microbial communities and building more complex multitrophic networks, pointing to plant-driven succession as a viable strategy for degraded mine rehabilitation.
Root carbon inputs outweigh litter in shaping grassland soil microbiomes and ecosystem multifunctionality
Researchers analyzed 13 years of field data from a semi-arid grassland and found that carbon inputs from plant roots matter more than leaf litter in sustaining soil microbial diversity and overall ecosystem health. Removing plants caused greater microbial and functional declines than removing surface litter, underscoring the hidden importance of below-ground carbon in maintaining healthy soils.
Collaborative Changes between Soil Fauna and Urbanization Gradients in Guangzhou’s Remnant Forests
Researchers investigated how soil fauna communities change along urbanization gradients in Guangzhou, finding that urbanization significantly reduces soil biodiversity and alters functional group composition, with implications for ecosystem services.
Types of vegetables shape composition, diversity, and co-occurrence networks of soil bacteria and fungi in karst areas of southwest China
Researchers examined how different vegetable crops influence the composition of soil bacteria and fungi in karst landscapes of southwest China. They found that the type of vegetable grown significantly shaped the diversity and co-occurrence patterns of soil microbial communities. The findings provide a foundation for understanding how agricultural practices affect soil health in ecologically fragile karst environments.
Multi-diversity dominates the response of ecosystem multifunctionality and stability to biogeochemical materials that exceed planetary boundaries
Researchers examined how microplastic contamination combined with nitrogen deposition affects ecosystem multifunctionality and stability in coastal saline-alkali wetlands. They found that the interaction between microplastics and nitrogen actually enhanced ecosystem multifunctionality, driven by increased biodiversity and complementary interactions within plant communities. The study reveals that the cascading effects of these pollutants on soil nutrients and enzyme activities play a pivotal role in shaping wetland ecosystem responses.
Structural and Functional Characteristics of Soil Microbial Communities in Forest–Wetland Ecotones: A Case Study of the Lesser Khingan Mountains
Researchers examined soil microbial communities across a forest-to-wetland gradient in China's Lesser Khingan Mountains, comparing mixed forest, conifer forest, wetland edge, and natural wetland. Natural wetland soils harbored the most distinct bacterial communities, driven primarily by high organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus content.
Bacterial and fungal predator – prey interactions modulate soil aggregation
This study examined how predator-prey interactions between bacteria, fungi, and their microbial predators influence soil aggregate formation. While focused on soil ecology, the research is relevant to understanding how microplastic contamination — which alters microbial communities — could indirectly affect soil structure and stability.
Ecological differentiation and assembly processes of abundant and rare bacterial subcommunities in karst groundwater
Researchers examined ecological differentiation between abundant and rare bacterial communities in karst groundwater in southwest China, revealing distinct assembly processes and environmental drivers that maintain ecosystem stability in these vulnerable aquifers.
Effects of Three Plantation Coniferous Species on Plant-Soil Feedbacks and Soil Physical and Chemical Properties in Semi-Arid Mountain Ecosystems
This study examined how three different conifer plantation species affect soil physicochemical properties and plant-soil feedback mechanisms in semi-arid mountain ecosystems. It is an ecology and forestry study unrelated to microplastics.
Effects of microplastics and drought on soil ecosystem functions and multifunctionality
Researchers tested how microplastic fibers and drought conditions interact to affect soil ecosystem functions in grassland plant communities. The study found that the combination of microplastics and drought negatively impacted nutrient cycling enzymes, soil respiration, and overall ecosystem multifunctionality, suggesting that microplastics may worsen the well-known damaging effects of drought on soil systems.
The Effect of Native Plant Diversity on the Success of Invasive Species in Polluted Soils
Researchers assessed the resistance of native plant communities to invasive species under soil pollutant stress by establishing experimental communities of varying species diversity, each paired with a distinct invasive species, and measuring growth traits and soil properties. Results indicated that soil pollution can weaken native plant communities and create competitive advantages for invasive species, with community diversity modulating resistance outcomes.
Drought Alleviates the Negative Effects of Microplastics on Soil Micro-Food Web Complexity and Stability
Researchers found that drought conditions can actually alleviate the negative effects of microplastic pollution on soil micro-food web complexity and stability, suggesting these two environmental stressors interact in unexpected ways rather than simply compounding harm.
Microplastics indirectly affect soil respiration of different-aged forest by altering microbial communities and carbon metabolism
Researchers explored how microplastics affect soil respiration in forests of different ages by altering microbial community structure and carbon metabolism. The study found microplastic levels ranging from approximately 600 to 3,858 items per sample across forest ages, and that their presence indirectly influences soil carbon cycling processes.
Linear responses of soil microbiomes, metagenomic and metabolomic functioning across ecosystems along water gradients in the Altai region, northwestern China
Researchers analyzed soil microbial communities, their genetic functions, and metabolic profiles across four ecosystems along a water gradient in the Altai region of China. Microbial diversity and carbon and nitrogen cycling functions increased linearly with soil moisture, demonstrating how hydrology shapes ecosystem-level microbial processes.
How Organic Mulching Influences the Soil Bacterial Community Structure and Function in Urban Forests
Researchers tested how different types of organic mulch affect the bacterial communities in urban forest soils. They found that wood chips and compost changed the soil's chemical properties and shifted the types of bacteria present, particularly those involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling. The study suggests that organic mulching could be a practical tool for improving the microbial health of urban soils.
Biodiversity in mountain soils above the treeline
Not relevant to microplastics — this paper reviews biodiversity gaps in high-altitude mountain soils, covering microorganisms, fungi, and invertebrates, and identifies major geographic and taxonomic blind spots in soil ecology research, with no connection to plastic pollution.
Number and dissimilarity of global change factors influences soil properties and functions
Researchers investigated how multiple environmental stressors, including microplastics, climate change, and chemical pollution, affect soil health when they act together. The study found that the more different the stressors are in how they work, the more they amplify each other's harmful effects on important soil functions like decomposition and enzyme activity.
Enhancing carbon restoration and ecosystem resilience in global drylands via water-to-carbon biotransformation strategies
Researchers synthesized thousands of experiments on dryland farming and found that combining crop diversification, efficient irrigation, soil mulching, and soil health practices can significantly restore carbon to depleted soils while improving water use efficiency. The study argues these strategies are practical pathways for combating climate change and food insecurity in the world's most water-stressed regions.
Response of the Stability of Soil Aggregates and Erodibility to Land Use Patterns in Wetland Ecosystems of Karst Plateau
This is not about microplastics — it is a soil science study examining how different land use patterns in Chinese karst plateau wetlands affect soil aggregate stability and erosion rates.
Linking rhizospheric microbiota and metabolite interactions with harvested aboveground carbon and soil carbon of lakeshore reed wetlands in a subtropical region
Researchers studied how soil microorganisms and plant-produced chemicals in wetland reed rhizospheres interact to influence carbon storage in lakeside wetlands. Understanding these relationships helps protect wetlands as important carbon sinks in the face of climate change.
MicroplasticDiversityas a Potential Driver of SoilDenitrification Shifts
Researchers conducted a microcosm experiment with four levels of microplastic diversity and used metagenomic sequencing to show that increasing microplastic diversity significantly raised soil pH and organic carbon content while driving shifts in denitrification function in soil microbial communities.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi attenuate negative impact of drought on soil functions
A meta-analysis combined with greenhouse experiments demonstrated that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi promote soil aggregation, microbial biomass, and nutrient-cycling enzyme activity, effectively buffering soil functions against drought. This protective effect is relevant to microplastic concerns because soil health is increasingly threatened by plastic pollution, and understanding natural soil defense mechanisms is important for protecting agricultural ecosystems.
Microplastic fibres affect soil fungal communities depending on drought conditions with consequences for ecosystem functions
Researchers found that microplastic fibers affect soil fungal communities differently depending on whether the soil is well-watered or drought-stressed. Under normal moisture, microplastics reduced fungal diversity, but during drought they actually increased fungal richness, suggesting that the environmental impact of microplastics on soil ecosystems depends heavily on climate conditions.