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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Plant economic strategies in two contrasting forests
ClearClimate change reshapes plant trait spectrum to explain biomass dynamics in an old-growth subtropical forest
A 26-year demographic study in an old-growth subtropical forest found that climate change is reshaping plant functional trait combinations, with shifts in the trait spectrum explaining observed declines in carbon accumulation rates.
Effects of three coniferous plantation species on plant‐soil feedbacks and soil physical and chemical properties in semi‐arid mountain ecosystems
Researchers compared how three coniferous tree species (larch, spruce, and pine) affect soil nutrients and water retention in semi-arid mountain forests, finding that larch and spruce significantly outperform pine by improving soil carbon cycling, nutrient availability, and water storage capacity. The study recommends larch and spruce as preferred species for afforestation projects in water-stressed mountain regions.
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 environmental factors on the phenotypic traits and seed element accumulation of wild Elymus nutans in Tibet
Researchers studied how soil nutrients and weather conditions affect the growth and seed composition of a wild grass species (Elymus nutans) across ten counties in Tibet, finding that higher elevations with lower phosphorus and harsher climates constrained plant development. Soil quality — particularly phosphorus and ammonium nitrogen availability — emerged as the key driver of plant health in these alpine environments.
Rapid adaptive responses of rosette‐type macrophyte Vallisneria natans juveniles to varying water depths: The role of leaf trait plasticity
This plant ecology study examined how juvenile aquatic plants adapt to different water depths over short time periods through changes in leaf shape and growth. It is not directly related to microplastics, though aquatic plant communities interact with microplastic pollution in lake sediments.
Ecological Roles of Lichens as Monitors of a Changing Global Environment
Researchers reviewed the ecological roles of lichens as sensitive bioindicators of environmental change, examining how their unique physiology — lacking a protective cuticle and absorbing water and nutrients directly from the atmosphere — makes them especially vulnerable to airborne pollutants, and how synergistic stressors from global change such as rising temperatures and shifting precipitation further compromise lichen diversity and ecosystem function.
The importance of being petioled: leaf traits and resource-use strategies in Nuphar lutea
Researchers examined intraspecific trait variability (ITV) in leaf morphology and petiole characteristics of the floating-leaved macrophyte Nuphar lutea across a hyper-eutrophic shallow lake in central Italy, finding that water depth and sediment properties modulated resource-use strategies, with leaf area and biomass increasing with depth reflecting the construction costs of longer petioles.
Polystyrene microplastic pollution induces species-specific shifts in root traits and rhizosphere conditions in a temperate forest
Researchers added polystyrene microplastics to soil around four temperate forest tree species and found species-specific root responses: thin-rooted trees decreased root biomass but increased surface area to compensate, while thick-rooted trees increased biomass proliferation but reduced root thickness to cut maintenance costs.
Soil-Microbial CNP Content and Ecological Stoichiometry Characteristics of Typical Broad-Leaved Tree Communities in Fanjing Mountain in Spring
This paper is not about microplastics; it examines soil microbial carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry across four subtropical forest types in Fanjing Mountain, China, to understand nutrient cycling and microbial nutrient limitations.
Effects of Microplastic Fibers and Drought on Plant Communities
Researchers added microplastic fibers to plant communities and applied drought stress, finding that microfibers reduced total community productivity and shifted species composition, with combined microplastic-drought stress causing greater harm than either factor alone.
Factors of global change affecting plants act at different levels of the ecological hierarchy
Not relevant to microplastics — this is a theoretical ecology paper proposing a refined conceptual framework for how various global change factors (climate, land use, pollution) affect plants at different levels of the ecological hierarchy.
Abiotic and Biotic Stress Cascades in the Era of Climate Change Pose a Challenge to Genetic Improvements in Plants
This review examines how simultaneous abiotic and biotic stress cascades under climate change compound challenges for genetic improvement of forest plants. The study synthesizes how overlapping stressors interact to overwhelm plant adaptive capacity and discusses implications for breeding and biotechnology strategies.
Multiple Factors Jointly Lead to the Lower Soil Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency of Abies fanjingshanensis in a Typical Subtropical Forest in Southwest China
Researchers evaluated microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) in the rhizospheric topsoil and subsoil of the endangered Abies fanjingshanensis at three elevations in a subtropical forest in southwest China, alongside physicochemical indices, enzyme activities, and microbial community composition. They found that pH was the most important factor controlling CUE, with acidic conditions forcing microorganisms to expend more energy on cellular pH maintenance rather than biomass production.
Effects of Microplastics on Growth Pattern of Pinus massoniana and Schima uperba
Researchers exposed two economically important tree species (Pinus massoniana and Schima superba) to microplastics and found species-specific differences in how woody plants respond to plastic contamination, with effects on growth, photosynthesis, and oxidative stress.
Plants make smart decisions in complex environments
This review proposed a decision-making framework for interpreting plant physiological behavior, arguing that processes such as seed germination timing, reproductive structure abortion, and photosynthesis regulation can be profitably analyzed as adaptive decisions made under uncertainty, offering a complementary perspective to mechanistic approaches in plant science.
Responses of Physiological, Morphological and Anatomical Traits to Abiotic Stress in Woody Plants
This review examines how trees and woody plants respond to environmental stresses including drought, flooding, extreme temperatures, heavy metals, and microplastics. Microplastics in soil can disrupt water transport and nutrient uptake in trees, potentially affecting forest health and the broader ecosystem. The effects of combined stresses, such as microplastics plus drought, are not simply additive and need further study.
Effect of Harvesting Stage on Cowpea Leaf Nutrient Composition
Researchers studied how the nutritional composition of cowpea leaves changes at different harvesting stages. The study is relevant to food security in sub-Saharan Africa and contributes to understanding how plant nutrient levels are affected by soil health, including contamination by microplastics and agrochemicals.
Mycorrhizal-specific responses of rhizosphere soil properties and fine-root traits to polystyrene microplastic addition in a temperate mixed forest
Researchers added polystyrene microplastics to a temperate forest and found they disrupted nutrient cycling differently depending on tree type — increasing nitrogen but decreasing phosphorus near oak-type trees, and doing the opposite near maple-type trees — suggesting microplastic pollution could reshape forest ecosystems over time.
Leaf morphology affects microplastic entrapment efficiency in freshwater macrophytes
Researchers found that leaf morphology significantly affects the ability of freshwater macrophytes (aquatic plants) to trap microplastics, with leaf shape and surface texture influencing particle capture efficiency. The findings suggest that aquatic vegetation plays an underappreciated role in microplastic retention and transport in freshwater ecosystems.
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.
Comparison of Lichens and Mosses as Biomonitors of Airborne Microplastics
Researchers compared lichens and mosses as biomonitors for airborne microplastics, finding that both organisms effectively capture and accumulate atmospheric microplastic particles, offering a simpler alternative to traditional labor-intensive sampling methods.
Belowground bud banks and land use change: roles of vegetation and soil properties in mediating the composition of bud banks in different ecosystems
This study demonstrated that land use change alters belowground bud bank size and composition, but the responses differ among bud types across wetland, farmland, and alpine meadow ecosystems. Vegetation type and soil properties were identified as key mediators of bud bank composition under changing land use conditions.
Soil nutrient heterogeneity alters productivity and diversity of experimental plant communities under multiple global change factors
This paper is not about microplastics — it examines how soil nutrient heterogeneity interacts with multiple global change factors (such as drought or elevated CO2) to influence the productivity and species diversity of plant communities in outdoor mesocosm experiments.
Mind the leaf anatomy while taking ground truth with portable chlorophyll meters
Researchers tested four portable handheld meters used to measure leaf chlorophyll content and found they work well for broad flat leaves but perform poorly for conifer needles and narrow grass leaves due to differences in leaf structure. Scientists and ecologists using these meters for remote sensing studies should calibrate them against lab measurements for non-standard leaf types to ensure accuracy.