Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Comparing the long-term responses of soil microbial structures and diversities to polyethylene microplastics in different aggregate fractions

Long-term soil incubation with polyethylene microplastics found that MPs altered aggregate stability, inhibited soil enzyme activities, and changed microbial community structure and diversity differently across soil aggregate size fractions, with effects persisting over time.

2021 Environment International 248 citations
Article Tier 2

Inhibitory effect of microplastics on soil extracellular enzymatic activities by changing soil properties and direct adsorption: An investigation at the aggregate-fraction level

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect the activity of soil enzymes over 150 days, examining responses across different soil aggregate sizes. They found that microplastics inhibited enzyme activities by altering soil properties, directly adsorbing enzymes, and competing with microorganisms for space. The study reveals that microplastic pollution can undermine key biological processes that maintain soil quality, with different soil aggregate fractions responding in distinct ways.

2020 Environmental Pollution 256 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

Assessing Microplastic Contamination Effects on Soil Microbial Communities in Agricultural Land

This study sampled agricultural soils with varying degrees of microplastic contamination to assess effects on microbial diversity, abundance, and enzymatic activity, finding that higher microplastic concentrations reduced microbial diversity and suppressed nutrient-cycling enzyme activity.

2025 ACADEMIA Biota Nexus Journal
Article Tier 2

Response of soil biochemical properties and ecosystem function to microplastics pollution

This study found that polyethylene microplastics significantly disrupted soil health by reducing enzyme activity, lowering nutrient availability, and impairing overall ecosystem function. Smaller microplastics caused more damage than larger ones, and the effects were dose-dependent, suggesting that as microplastic pollution accumulates in agricultural soil, it could increasingly threaten the soil health that food production depends on.

2024 Scientific Reports 27 citations
Article Tier 2

High‐density polyethylene microplastics in agricultural soil: Impact on microbes, enzymes, and carbon‐nitrogen ratio

Researchers assessed the impact of high-density polyethylene microplastics at various concentrations on agricultural soil over 60 days. The study found that microplastics caused non-uniform effects on microbial populations, reduced key enzyme activities through hydrogen bond formation with enzymes, and significantly altered the soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, suggesting potential long-term consequences for soil health.

2024 Journal of Environmental Quality 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of soil enzyme activities and bacterial communities to the accumulation of microplastics in an acid cropped soil

Researchers tested how polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics at different concentrations affect enzyme activity and bacterial communities in acidic agricultural soil. Both types of microplastics reduced the diversity of soil bacteria while stimulating certain enzymes related to nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. The findings suggest that microplastic accumulation in farmland may alter important soil biological processes, potentially affecting nutrient cycling and the breakdown of pollutants.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 795 citations
Article Tier 2

Responses of microbial communities to the addition of different types of microplastics in agricultural soils

Researchers conducted a 90-day soil incubation study to examine how four types of microplastics — polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate — affect agricultural soil properties and microbial communities. They found that all four types significantly altered soil enzyme activities, nutrient content, and the diversity of microbial populations. The study indicates that microplastic contamination in farmland can disrupt soil health in ways that may affect agricultural productivity.

2024 Environmental Pollution 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic effects on soil aggregation in sterilized and non-sterilized soils

Researchers tested how microplastics affect soil aggregate stability in both sterilized and non-sterilized soils, finding that microbial activity mediates much of the structural impact and that plastic type influences aggregation differently depending on soil biology.

2024
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on soil aggregate formation: Insights into biological binding agents

A laboratory experiment found that polyethylene microplastics in different shapes (granules, fibers, and films) and aging states significantly alter how soil particles clump together into aggregates, with effects depending on the plastic's shape and the soil's organic matter content. Disruption of soil aggregation by microplastics matters because aggregate structure controls water retention, aeration, and microbial habitat — all fundamental to healthy, productive soils.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Effects on Soil Aggregation in Sterilized and Non‐Sterilized Soils

Researchers tested how microplastics affect soil aggregation in both sterilized and biologically active soils, finding that microplastic effects on aggregate stability were strongly mediated by the presence of soil microorganisms. Biologically active soils showed different responses than sterile soils, highlighting the role of the soil microbiome.

2024 Land Degradation and Development
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics on Soil Nutrients and Enzyme Activities].

Researchers studied how different concentrations and sizes of polyethylene microplastics affect soil chemistry and enzyme activity over four months. They found that smaller microplastics had a greater impact on soil nutrient cycling than larger ones, and that higher concentrations more significantly disrupted enzyme functions critical for soil health. The study indicates that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could impair the biological processes that maintain soil fertility.

2024 PubMed 8 citations
Review Tier 2

[Interaction between microplastics and microorganisms in soil environment: a review].

This review examines how microplastics alter soil microbial community structure and diversity, and how microorganisms in turn colonize plastic surfaces and degrade them through extracellular enzymes — with degradation efficiency dependent on polymer properties and environmental conditions.

2023 PubMed 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Small-size polyethylene and polylactic microplastic alterations on soil aggregate formation with soil sterilization

Researchers tested how small polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics affect the formation of soil clumps, called aggregates, which are important for healthy soil structure. The microplastics changed aggregate stability through physical interactions rather than by harming soil microbes. This matters because soil structure affects how well crops grow, and widespread microplastic contamination in agricultural fields could subtly alter soil quality.

2024 Chemosphere 10 citations
Article Tier 2

LDPE microplastic films alter microbial community composition and enzymatic activities in soil

Polyethylene microplastic films were added to soil at 2000 fragments/kg and effects on enzymatic activities and bacterial communities were measured over 90 days, with urease and catalase activities significantly increased after 15 days and alpha diversity of soil bacteria reduced. The study indicates that LDPE microplastics alter soil microbial function and community structure, with potential consequences for nutrient cycling.

2019 Environmental Pollution 717 citations
Article Tier 2

Dose Effect of Polyethylene Microplastics Derived from Commercial Resins on Soil Properties, Bacterial Communities, and Enzymatic Activity

Researchers applied polyethylene microplastics derived from commercial resins to soil at varying doses and measured effects on soil organisms and properties, finding dose-dependent impacts on earthworm behavior, enzyme activity, and nutrient cycling.

2024 Microorganisms 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of different sizes of microplastic particles on soil respiration, enzyme activities, microbial communities, and seed germination

Researchers tested how six different sizes of polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect soil health, including respiration, enzyme activity, microbial communities, and seed germination. They found that smaller particles generally had stronger effects, boosting soil respiration while altering microbial diversity, and that the smallest polyethylene particles significantly reduced seed germination rates. The findings suggest that as microplastics break down into smaller pieces in soil, their ecological impact may intensify.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Do Soil pH Levels Drive the Responses of Catalase Activity and Bacterial Communities to Microplastics? A Case Study in Mollisols

Researchers investigated how soil pH shapes the response of catalase enzyme activity and bacterial communities to microplastic exposure across three Mollisol farmland sites, finding that pH was a key driver of both microplastic effects on enzyme activity and on which microbial community shifts occurred.

2025 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Effect of emerging contaminants on soil microbial community composition, soil enzyme activity, and strawberry plant growth in polyethylene microplastic-containing soils

Researchers found that emerging contaminants altered soil microbial community composition and enzyme activity, but these effects were suppressed when HDPE microplastics were also present in the soil, suggesting microplastics may modulate how soils respond to chemical contaminants.

2023 Environmental Science Advances 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Can Inhibit Organic Carbon Mineralization by Influencing Soil Aggregate Distribution and Microbial Community Structure in Cultivated Soil: Evidence from a One-Year Pot Experiment

Researchers conducted a one-year pot experiment to study how different types and concentrations of microplastics affect soil carbon cycling and aggregate stability. They found that microplastics significantly altered soil aggregate size distribution and decreased organic carbon mineralization rates regardless of polymer type. The study suggests that microplastic contamination may slow the natural breakdown of organic carbon in agricultural soils by changing soil structure and microbial communities.

2024 Agronomy 18 citations