Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene, polylactic acid, and tire particles on the sediment microbiome and metabolome at high and low temperatures

This study examined how three common types of microplastics (polyethylene, polylactic acid, and tire particles) affect bacteria and chemical processes in wetland sediment at different temperatures. The microplastics changed the types and diversity of bacteria in the sediment and altered chemical activity, with the effects varying depending on temperature. These findings matter because changes to sediment microbes can disrupt wetland ecosystems that help filter water before it reaches communities.

2024 Applied and Environmental Microbiology 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastic on Freshwater Sediment Biogeochemistry and Microbial Communities Is Polymer Specific

Researchers used a microcosm approach to test how three common plastic types found in Great Lakes sediments affect freshwater benthic biogeochemistry and microbial communities. They found that each polymer had distinct effects: PET fibers decreased ecosystem metabolism, PVC particles increased nutrient uptake, and tire-derived rubber most substantially altered microbial community function. The study highlights that the environmental impact of microplastics in freshwater sediments depends heavily on the specific polymer type involved.

2024 Water 15 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of three different microplastics on enzyme activities and microbial communities in soil

Researchers added three types of microplastics (film PE, fiber PP, and sphere PP) to loamy and sandy soils and measured effects on enzyme activities and microbial communities, finding that all three types altered microbial community structure and nutrient-cycling enzyme activities in soil-type-dependent ways.

2020 Water Environment Research 311 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics addition on sediment environmental properties, enzymatic activities and bacterial diversity

Researchers conducted a 60-day experiment to assess how adding different types of microplastics to river sediment affects its chemical properties, enzyme activity, and bacterial communities. They found that microplastics altered nutrient cycling, changed enzyme activity levels, and shifted the composition of sediment microbial communities. The study demonstrates that microplastic accumulation in sediments can disrupt the biological processes that maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems.

2022 Chemosphere 123 citations
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

Unveiling the impact of microplastics with distinct polymer types and concentrations on tidal sediment microbiome and nitrogen cycling

Researchers tested how five different types of microplastics at varying concentrations affect microbial communities and nitrogen cycling in tidal sediments over 30 days. They found that microplastics generally reduced microbial diversity and enhanced nitrogen fixation, with biodegradable PLA plastic showing concentration-dependent effects. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in coastal sediments can disrupt important nutrient cycling processes driven by microorganisms.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 30 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Environment International 238 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterial community colonization on tire microplastics in typical urban water environments and associated impacting factors

Researchers used 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing to characterize bacterial community dynamics colonizing tire microplastics from three different tire brands and sizes in two urban water environments, including a constructed wetland influent pond. The study identified how tire microplastics support distinct and potentially harmful bacterial communities influenced by environmental conditions.

2020 Environmental Pollution 119 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic particles on carbon source metabolism and bacterial community in freshwater lake sediments

A microcosm experiment tested how four common plastic types affect carbon metabolism and bacterial communities in freshwater lake sediments, finding that microplastics disrupted microbial carbon cycling and altered community composition.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 215 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024
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

Effects of microplastics on the structure and function of bacterial communities in sediments of a freshwater lake

Researchers examined how microplastics alter the structure and function of bacterial communities in sediments, finding that plastic exposure shifted community composition and reduced overall diversity compared to plastic-free controls. Functional analysis showed impaired denitrification and organic matter decomposition in microplastic-contaminated sediments, indicating ecosystem-level consequences for nutrient cycling.

2024 Chemosphere 9 citations
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

Freeze-thaw aged polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics alter enzyme activity and microbial community composition in soil

This study found that when polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics go through freeze-thaw cycles (as they would in cold-climate soils), their surfaces change in ways that alter soil enzyme activity and shift microbial communities. These findings matter because changes in soil microbes can affect nutrient cycling and crop health, with potential downstream effects on human food systems.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Can Microplastic Pollution Change Important Aquatic Bacterial Communities?

Microplastics in coastal sediments can change the composition of important bacterial communities that cycle nutrients and maintain ecosystem health. Microplastic-associated bacteria differ significantly from natural sediment bacteria, with potential consequences for the chemical processes these communities perform.

2021 Frontiers for Young Minds
Article Tier 2

Dual regulatory effects of microplastics and heat waves on river microbial carbon metabolism

Researchers found that microplastics inhibited the thermal adaptation of river microbial communities during simulated heat waves, disrupting carbon metabolism processes and suggesting that combined microplastic pollution and climate warming may alter riverine carbon cycling.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 23 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

Effects of microplastics on cold seep sediment prokaryotic communities

Researchers studied how polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene microplastics affect microbial communities in cold seep sediments over a 120-day incubation period. The study found that microplastics significantly altered bacterial community structure in a type- and concentration-dependent manner, with some bacteria associated with plastic degradation increasing, while archaeal communities were less affected.

2023 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts and mechanism of biodegradable microplastics on lake sediment properties, bacterial dynamics, and greenhouse gasses emissions

Researchers found that biodegradable PBAT microplastics in lake sediments increased greenhouse gas emissions more than conventional polyethylene microplastics, altering sediment properties and microbial communities in ways that enhanced carbon dioxide and methane production.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics impair extracellular enzymatic activities and organic matter cycling in oligotrophic sandy marine sediments

Researchers investigated how microplastic contamination affects the breakdown of organic matter in sandy marine sediments. They found that microplastics significantly reduced the activity of key enzymes responsible for decomposing organic material, disrupting normal nutrient cycling processes. The study suggests that microplastic accumulation on the seafloor could impair the ecosystem services provided by benthic sediment communities.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

A Study of the Effects of Microplastics on Microbial Communities in Marine Sediments

This study investigated how the presence of microplastics in marine sediments affects microbial communities and, specifically, the methane cycle, finding that microplastics significantly altered microbial community structure and function. Since marine sediment microbes play a critical role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic contamination could have broader climate-relevant effects beyond direct toxicity.

2024 Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on bacterial communities in lake wetland sediments: a comparison between drought and flooded conditions

Researchers established a sediment microcosm system for Poyang Lake wetland and examined the effects of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics on bacterial community structure, functional genes, and ecological processes over 180 days under both simulated drought and flooded conditions.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

Microplastics induced the differential responses of microbial-driven soil carbon and nitrogen cycles under warming

Researchers examined how the combination of microplastic pollution and warming temperatures affects soil carbon and nitrogen cycling driven by microbial communities. The study found that microplastics altered microbial responses to warming in ways that disrupted both carbon decomposition and nitrogen transformation processes in soil.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 30 citations