We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of microplastics/nanoplastics on Vallisneria natans roots and sediment: Size effect, enzymology, and microbial communities
ClearResponses of submerged plant Vallisneria natans growth and leaf biofilms to water contaminated with microplastics
Researchers exposed the submerged aquatic plant Vallisneria natans to environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics and observed increased antioxidant enzyme activity and cellular organelle damage. The microplastics also altered the microbial community composition on leaf biofilms. The findings indicate that even moderate microplastic concentrations can disrupt plant defense mechanisms and shift the microbial ecology of aquatic environments.
Effects of microsized and nanosized polystyrene on detrital processing and nutrient dynamics in streams
Researchers exposed a stream detrital food chain — leaf-decomposing microbes and a river snail — to nano- and microsized polystyrene particles and found that nanosized particles suppressed microbial growth while boosting certain enzymes, whereas microsized particles reduced leaf nitrogen content and snail feeding, indicating distinct ecological disruption pathways depending on particle size.
[Response of Water-Vallisneria natans-Sediment System to Polyethylene Microplastics].
This study examined how polyethylene microplastics affect the water-Vallisneria natans-sediment system, finding that microplastic exposure alters aquatic plant physiology, sediment microbial activity, and nutrient cycling dynamics.
Effects of nanoplastics and microplastics on the growth of sediment-rooted macrophytes
Both nano- and microplastic particles negatively affected the growth of freshwater macrophytes in sediment-rooted experiments, with nanoplastics causing more pronounced effects at lower concentrations. The findings highlight that aquatic plants, which form the base of many freshwater food webs, are vulnerable to plastic particle pollution.
Acute effects of nanoplastics and microplastics on periphytic biofilms depending on particle size, concentration and surface modification
Researchers tested the acute effects of polystyrene particles ranging from 100 nanometers to 9 micrometers on freshwater biofilms that are essential for nutrient cycling. They found that larger particles had negligible effects, but high concentrations of 100-nanometer particles significantly reduced chlorophyll content and enzyme activities related to carbon and nitrogen cycling. Positively charged nanoparticles were the most toxic, with the damage linked to oxidative stress from excess reactive oxygen species generation.
Unraveling the toxic mechanisms of microplastics in aquatic ecosystem: A case study on Vallisneria natans and Myriophyllum verticillatum
Researchers exposed two submerged aquatic plant species (Vallisneria natans and Myriophyllum verticillatum) to PVC, polystyrene, and polyethylene microplastics at three concentrations, finding that all three types significantly inhibited photosynthesis and growth and triggered oxidative stress, with effects varying by plastic type and plant species.
Size-Dependent Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics on Freshwater Microalgae After Long-Term Exposure
Researchers exposed a common freshwater algae species to polystyrene nanoplastics of three different sizes over an extended period. They found that the smallest particles caused the most damage to algae cells, while the largest particles had relatively mild effects, revealing a clear size-dependent toxicity pattern. The study suggests that the tiniest nanoplastic particles in freshwater environments may pose the greatest risk to the base of aquatic food webs.
Effects of different sizes of polystyrene micro(nano)plastics on soil microbial communities.
This study tested how polystyrene micro- and nanoplastic particles of three sizes affect soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling, finding that smaller particles caused greater disruption to nitrogen cycling and microbial activity. The results suggest that as plastics in soil fragment into smaller pieces over time, their impact on soil biology and fertility may worsen.
Size-dependent impacts from polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on freshwater invertebrates: A mesocosm study combining environmental DNA metabarcoding and morphological identification
A 14-week outdoor mesocosm experiment exposed natural freshwater invertebrate communities to 15 µm and 150 nm polystyrene particles, finding size-dependent effects on community composition with nanoplastics causing greater disruption than microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations.
Size dependent impacts of a model microplastic on nitrification induced by interaction with nitrifying bacteria
Researchers found that smaller 50 nm polystyrene particles had a greater inhibitory impact on nitrification than larger 500 nm particles, reducing nitrite utilization rates and disrupting nitrogen cycling more severely. The size-dependent effect suggests nanoplastics pose greater risks to aquatic nitrogen processing than microplastics.
Effects of polystyrene microplastics on uptake and toxicity of phenanthrene in soybean
This study examined how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes affect soybean plants' uptake of the pollutant phenanthrene. Researchers found that microplastics reduced soybean roots' ability to absorb phenanthrene, but micron-sized particles caused more oxidative damage to roots than nano-sized ones, which paradoxically reduced pollutant uptake further. The study highlights that combined exposure to microplastics and organic pollutants can harm crop plants, with the specific effects depending on plastic particle size.
Shifting enzyme activity and microbial composition in sediment coregulate the structure of an aquatic plant community under polyethylene microplastic exposure
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect underwater plant communities and found that the impact varies significantly by species. Canopy-forming plants actually grew more under microplastic exposure, while rosette-forming species declined sharply, shifting the overall community structure. The study suggests that microplastics in freshwater sediments can reshape aquatic ecosystems by altering enzyme activity and microbial composition in ways that favor some plant species over others.
Toxicity mechanism of microplastics on the growth traits and metabolic pathways of Vallisneria natans under different light environments
Researchers examined how microplastics affect the aquatic plant Vallisneria natans under different light conditions and found that strong light significantly increased microplastic accumulation on leaves and roots. The combination of high light and microplastics caused the most severe disruption to photosynthesis, energy metabolism, and triggered elevated oxidative stress. The findings suggest that environmental conditions like light intensity can amplify the harmful effects of microplastic pollution on freshwater plants.
The threat of micro/nanoplastic to aquatic plants: current knowledge, gaps, and future perspectives
This review summarizes what is known about how micro- and nanoplastics affect aquatic plants, including how plants absorb these particles through roots and leaves and transport them internally. Exposure can alter plant growth, photosynthesis, and interactions with other organisms, though effects vary widely depending on plastic type and concentration. The authors highlight major research gaps and call for more studies on real-world conditions rather than controlled lab settings.
Microplastics enhance the invasion of exotic submerged macrophytes by mediating plant functional traits, sediment properties, and microbial communities
This study found that polystyrene microplastics in water helped invasive aquatic plants grow stronger and spread more effectively, while native plants were not similarly boosted. The microplastics changed soil chemistry and disrupted bacterial communities in ways that specifically favored the invasive species. This research shows that microplastic pollution could accelerate the spread of invasive plants in lakes and rivers, further threatening aquatic ecosystem health.
Response strategies of stem/leaves endophyte communities to nano-plastics regulate growth performance of submerged macrophytes.
Nano-polystyrene exposure changed the composition and activity of endophytic bacterial communities in the stems and leaves of aquatic macrophytes, with some endophyte shifts helping plants maintain growth by modulating stress responses, revealing a microbiome-mediated tolerance mechanism.
Negative impacts of nanoplastics on the purification function of submerged plants in constructed wetlands: Responses of oxidative stress and metabolic processes
Researchers exposed a submerged aquatic plant commonly used in constructed wetlands to polystyrene nanoplastics and measured the impacts on growth, photosynthesis, and metabolism. They found that nanoplastics were absorbed and transported throughout the plant, reducing growth by up to 73 percent and disrupting key metabolic pathways including the citric acid cycle. The study suggests that nanoplastic accumulation in wetland plants could compromise their ability to purify water.
Mechanistic insight into the impact of polystyrene microparticle on submerged plant during asexual propagules germination to seedling: Internalization in functional organs and alterations of physiological phenotypes
Researchers found that polystyrene microparticles are internalized by reproductive organs and seedling tissues of the submerged aquatic plant Vallisneria during asexual propagule germination, causing measurable physiological disruption during a critical growth stage.
Microplastic size-dependent biochemical and molecular effects in alga Heterosigma akashiwo
Researchers investigated the effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics on the harmful algal species Heterosigma akashiwo, finding that 80-nanometer particles were more toxic than 1-micrometer particles. The study showed that smaller nanoplastics at higher concentrations inhibited algal growth and photosynthesis, disrupted antioxidant enzyme activity, and altered gene expression, suggesting size-dependent toxicity mechanisms.
Reprogramming of microbial community in barley root endosphere and rhizosphere soil by polystyrene plastics with different particle sizes
Barley plants grown in polystyrene microplastic- and nanoplastic-contaminated soil showed altered microbial communities in both the root endosphere and rhizosphere, suggesting plastic pollution can reshape plant-associated microbiomes. These shifts could have downstream consequences for plant health and soil nutrient cycling.
Insight into the absorption and migration of polystyrene nanoplastics in Eichhornia crassipes and related photosynthetic responses
Researchers studied how water hyacinth plants absorb and transport polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes. Smaller nanoplastics (20 nm) penetrated deeper into root tissue and migrated to leaves, while larger ones (200 nm) mostly stayed in the roots. Both sizes impaired photosynthesis, suggesting that nanoplastic pollution in waterways can harm aquatic plants that play important roles in water purification.
Ecological impacts of polylactic acid and polylactic acid-polyethylene microplastics on freshwater ecosystems: Insights from a water–Vallisneria natans–sediment system
Researchers tested the effects of biodegradable PLA and PLA-polyethylene blend microplastics on a freshwater ecosystem containing aquatic plants and sediment. Both types of microplastics altered water chemistry, reduced plant growth, increased oxidative stress, and shifted the microbial communities in both water and sediment. The study demonstrates that even biodegradable plastic alternatives can disrupt freshwater ecosystems in meaningful ways.
Toxicity of polystyrene microplastics in freshwater algae Scenedesmus obliquus: Effects of particle size and surface charge
Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and surface charges affect the freshwater algae Scenedesmus obliquus. The study found that smaller 1-micrometer particles caused greater oxidative stress, reduced photosynthetic effectiveness, and decreased membrane integrity compared to larger 12-micrometer particles, with effects being dose-dependent.
Divergent responses in microbial metabolic limitations and carbon use efficiency to variably sized polystyrene microplastics in soil
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics of all sizes disrupted soil microbe metabolism, but the smallest particles (nanoscale, 0.1 micrometers) caused the most stress. Smaller particles were more likely to enter microbial cells directly and reduce the efficiency with which soil microbes process carbon. This matters because soil microbes play a critical role in carbon cycling, and widespread microplastic contamination could affect how soil stores and releases carbon.