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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Potential synergy of microplastics and nitrogen enrichment on plant holobionts in wetland ecosystems
ClearNatural filters of marine microplastic pollution: implications for plants and submerged environments
Researchers reviewed how vegetated ecosystems — like wetlands and marshes — act as natural filters that trap microplastics before they flow into waterways, but found that these trapped particles can still harm soil health and plant growth by causing oxidative stress. The review highlights a critical gap: plants help protect aquatic environments from microplastic pollution while simultaneously being harmed by it themselves.
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.
Nitrogen deposition modulates invasibility and stability of plant communities in microplastic-contaminated wetlands
A greenhouse experiment found that polyethylene microplastics combined with nitrogen deposition reduced morphological traits of invaded wetland plant communities, altering competitive dynamics between invasive and native plants.
Nitrogen metabolic responses of non-rhizosphere and rhizosphere microbial communities in constructed wetlands under nanoplastics disturbance
Researchers compared how microbial communities in plant root zones versus non-root zones of constructed wetlands respond to nanoplastic contamination. They found that nanoplastics reduced beneficial nitrogen-processing bacteria near roots by nearly 18%, while non-root microbes showed greater adaptability, even using nanoplastics as a carbon source. The findings suggest that constructed wetlands, which are important for water treatment, may have their nitrogen-removal capabilities impaired by nanoplastic pollution.
Unveiling the microplastic perturbation on surface flow constructed wetlands with macrophytes of different life forms: Responses of nitrogen removal and sensory quality
Polystyrene microplastics initially boosted nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands used for water treatment, but over time they reduced removal efficiency by 25-34% and harmed the beneficial bacteria responsible for cleaning the water. This means microplastic contamination could undermine natural water treatment systems that communities rely on for clean water.
Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystem: Exploring the menace to the soil-plant-microbe interactions
This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics affect the complex relationships between soil, plants, and soil microbes. Microplastics alter soil structure, change the makeup of microbial communities, and disrupt beneficial partnerships between plants and helpful fungi and bacteria. These disruptions can reduce plant growth and nutrient cycling, which could ultimately affect crop yields and the quality of food produced on microplastic-contaminated farmland.
The effects of polypropylene microplastics on the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from water by Acorus calamus, Iris tectorum and functional microorganisms
Researchers investigated how polypropylene microplastics affect the ability of aquatic plants and their associated microorganisms to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from water. They found that microplastic stress reduced the nutrient absorption capacity of the plants and altered the microbial communities responsible for nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may undermine the effectiveness of wetland-based water purification systems.
Mechanistic insights into microplastic-mediated shifts in nitrogen metabolism and sensory quality across emergent and submerged-plant wetlands: Evidence from metagenomics and physiological indicators
Researchers exposed surface-flow constructed wetlands planted with emergent and submerged macrophytes to polystyrene microplastics and found a 12.64% reduction in total nitrogen removal in the emergent plant system, driven by shifts in nitrogen-cycling microbial communities. PS-MPs also altered sensory water quality indicators, with effects varying by plant type.
Recent advances towards micro(nano)plastics research in wetland ecosystems: A systematic review on sources, removal, and ecological impacts
Wetland ecosystems act as important sinks for micro- and nanoplastics, which were found to cause ecotoxicological effects on wetland plants, animals, and microbial communities, including shifts in microbial composition relevant to pollutant removal. Micro/nanoplastics exposure also affected conventional pollutant removal efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions from wetland systems.
Non-negligible impact of microplastics on wetland ecosystems
This review examines microplastic pollution in wetland ecosystems, which sit between land and water and act as natural filters. Microplastics in wetlands come from sewage, agricultural runoff, and atmospheric deposition, with polyethylene and polypropylene fibers and fragments being the most common types found. The paper highlights that microplastics can harm wetland plants, animals, and microbes, and may even increase greenhouse gas emissions by serving as an unusual carbon source for soil microorganisms.
Source, fate, toxicity, and remediation of micro-plastic in wetlands: A critical review
Researchers reviewed how microplastics enter, accumulate in, and damage natural wetlands — ecosystems that filter water and support biodiversity — finding that while wetlands may actually trap plastic particles like a sink, the resulting contamination poses serious ecological risks that are still poorly understood.
Nitrogen supply neutralizes the nanoplastic-plant interaction in a coastal wetland
Researchers investigated how nitrogen fertilization affects plant communities exposed to polypropylene nanoplastics in coastal wetlands, finding that nanoplastics alone reduce plant biomass and alter community structure, while combined nitrogen supply can partially offset these effects — suggesting nitrogen inputs may mitigate nanoplastic stress in restored saline-alkaline ecosystems.
Impacts of microplastics on terrestrial plants: A critical review
This review examines how microplastics affect land-based plants, finding that they can alter soil structure, disrupt beneficial soil microbes, and reduce plant growth. Microplastics also carry toxic chemicals like plasticizers and heavy metals that can be taken up by plant roots and enter the food chain. The findings raise concerns about human health since contaminated crops could be a hidden source of microplastic and chemical exposure in our diets.
A review on the fate of micro and nano plastics (MNPs) and their implication in regulating nutrient cycling in constructed wetland systems
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics interact with the biological, chemical, and physical processes in constructed wetlands, which are nature-based systems used to treat wastewater. Researchers found that these tiny plastics can interfere with nitrogen and phosphorus removal by affecting the microbial communities, plant health, and substrate chemistry within the wetlands. The study highlights that as microplastic levels increase in wastewater, their presence could reduce the overall treatment effectiveness of these green infrastructure systems.
Effects of combined microplastics and heavy metals pollution on terrestrial plants and rhizosphere environment: A review
This review summarizes how microplastics and heavy metals interact in soil to affect plant growth and the surrounding ecosystem. When present together, these pollutants cause significantly more harm than either alone, reducing plant weight by up to 87.5% and altering how heavy metals accumulate in crops -- raising concerns about food safety and human exposure through contaminated agricultural products.
Nanoplastics enhance the denitrification process and microbial interaction network in wetland soils
This study found that nanoplastics in wetland soils increased denitrification -- the process that converts nitrates into nitrogen gas -- by reshaping the microbial community and strengthening cooperative networks among bacteria. While this is primarily an environmental finding, changes to nitrogen cycling in wetlands can affect water quality in ways that ultimately influence human drinking water sources.
Plant Based Application for Microplastic Removal in Constructed Wetlands: A Mini Review
This mini-review examines how wetland plants in constructed wetlands capture and degrade microplastics through physical entrapment, root-zone interactions, and microbial activity, assessing operational factors that determine removal efficiency.
Nanoplastics Disturb Nitrogen Removal in Constructed Wetlands: Responses of Microbes and Macrophytes
The impact of nanosized plastics on nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands was investigated by examining microbial community responses and denitrification processes. Nanoplastics disturbed biological nitrogen removal in the wetland system, with microorganisms showing altered community structure and reduced denitrification efficiency.
Microplastics strengthen nitrogen retention by intensifying nitrogen limitation in mangrove ecosystem sediments
In a lab experiment simulating mangrove wetland sediments, microplastics altered nutrient cycling by intensifying nitrogen limitation, which changed how microbes processed nitrogen. While focused on environmental impacts, this matters because mangrove ecosystems are important coastal filters, and disrupting their nutrient cycles could affect downstream water quality and the health of seafood that humans consume.
Carbon Cycling in Wetlands Under the Shadow of Microplastics: Challenges and Prospects
This review examines how microplastics disrupt carbon cycling in wetlands, which are critical ecosystems for capturing and storing carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change. Microplastics can damage plant roots, alter soil microbial communities, and accelerate the breakdown of stored organic carbon, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. The findings highlight that microplastic pollution may undermine wetlands' ability to help regulate the climate.
Biofilms in plastisphere from freshwater wetlands: Biofilm formation, bacterial community assembly, and biogeochemical cycles
Researchers studied how bacteria form biofilms on microplastic surfaces in freshwater wetlands and found that these plastic-associated communities differ significantly from natural soil bacteria. The microplastic biofilms had lower diversity but higher activity in carbon processing and nitrogen cycling genes. This means microplastics in wetlands can alter natural nutrient cycles, potentially affecting water quality in ecosystems that many communities rely on.
Mechanisms underpinning microplastic effects on the natural climate solutions of wetland ecosystems
Microplastics are entering wetlands worldwide and disrupting the plants and microbes that make wetlands powerful carbon sinks, potentially turning these ecosystems from carbon absorbers into greenhouse gas emitters. This review maps the mechanisms by which microplastics interfere with wetland carbon storage and calls for this threat to be factored into global climate commitments like the Paris Agreement's net-zero targets. The findings are a warning that plastic pollution could quietly undermine one of nature's most important tools for fighting climate change.
Combined interactions and ecotoxicological effects of micro/nanoplastics and organic pollutants in soil–plant systems: a critical overview
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics interact with organic pollutants in soil-plant systems. The study highlights that these plastic particles can act synergistically with organic pollutants in terrestrial ecosystems, posing combined threats to soil and plant health that warrant further investigation.
Interactions of Microplastics with Microbial Communities and the Food Web/Plants
This review examines how microplastics interact with soil and water microorganisms and move through food webs and plant systems. Microplastics can disrupt microbial communities that are essential for soil health and nutrient cycling, while also being absorbed by plants and passed along to animals that eat them. These disruptions in natural systems matter for human health because they can affect food safety and the productivity of agricultural ecosystems.