Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics promote soil nitrification and alter the composition of key nitrogen functional bacterial groups

Researchers found that polyethylene and PVC microplastics in soil increased nitrification (a key step in the nitrogen cycle) and changed the composition of nitrogen-processing bacteria. These changes could affect soil fertility and the availability of nutrients for crops. The study highlights how microplastic contamination in agricultural soil may have hidden effects on food production by altering fundamental soil processes.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 72 citations
Article Tier 2

LDPE microplastics affect soil microbial communities and nitrogen cycling

Researchers found that adding polyethylene microplastics to soil changed the bacterial communities and disrupted the nitrogen cycle, which is essential for soil fertility and plant growth. Microplastics increased the activity of certain nitrogen-processing genes while decreasing others, shifting the balance of nutrient cycling. These changes in soil function could ultimately affect crop health and the quality of food grown in microplastic-contaminated agricultural land.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 404 citations
Article Tier 2

Differential impacts of polyethylene microplastic and additives on soil nitrogen cycling: A deeper dive into microbial interactions and transformation mechanisms

This study tested how polyethylene microplastics, their base resin, and plastic additives each affect nitrogen cycling in soil -- a process essential for plant growth. All three altered the soil's nitrogen balance and microbial communities in different ways, with microplastics increasing certain nitrogen transformation rates the most. These findings matter because disrupted nitrogen cycling in farmland could affect crop nutrition and ultimately the quality of food humans eat.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic induces microbial nitrogen limitation further alters microbial nitrogentransformation: Insights from metagenomic analysis

Researchers studied how both conventional and biodegradable microplastics affect nitrogen cycling in soil over 120 days. They found that biodegradable microplastics significantly disrupted microbial nitrogen processes by acting as a carbon source that shifted bacterial communities toward nitrogen-fixing species. The findings suggest that even biodegradable plastics in soil can alter nutrient availability in ways that may affect soil fertility and plant growth.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 10 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

Role of polyamide microplastic in altering microbial consortium and carbon and nitrogen cycles in a simulated agricultural soil microcosm

Researchers added polyamide microplastics to simulated agricultural soil and tracked their effects on microbial communities and nutrient cycling over time. They found that microplastics altered the composition of soil bacteria and disrupted both carbon and nitrogen cycling processes. The study highlights how microplastic contamination in farmland can affect the invisible but essential microbial processes that maintain soil health and fertility.

2022 Chemosphere 86 citations
Review Tier 2

Key factors and mechanisms of microplastics’ effects on soil nitrogen transformation: A review

This review systematically analyzed how microplastics affect nitrogen transformation processes in soil. Researchers found that the size, shape, concentration, and polymer type of microplastics all influence soil nitrogen cycling through changes to microbial communities, soil structure, and enzyme activity. The study identifies key knowledge gaps and recommends standardized research approaches to better predict how microplastic pollution will alter soil nutrient dynamics.

2024 Soil & Environmental Health 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Sub-micron microplastics affect nitrogen cycling by altering microbial abundance and activities in a soil-legume system

Researchers found that very small (sub-micron) polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics in soil significantly altered nitrogen cycling by changing the abundance and activity of bacteria around soybean roots. While the microplastics did not affect plant growth directly, they increased nitrogen uptake and shifted the balance of nitrogen-processing bacteria. These hidden changes to soil chemistry could have long-term effects on agricultural productivity and the nutritional quality of crops.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into soil autotrophic ammonium oxidization under microplastics stress: Crossroads of nitrification, comammox, anammox and Feammox

This study found that microplastics in soil disrupted key nitrogen cycling processes carried out by bacteria, including nitrification and other pathways essential for soil fertility. Different types of microplastics had varying effects on the microbial communities responsible for converting nitrogen into forms plants can use. Since nitrogen availability directly affects crop growth, microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could subtly undermine food production.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and nitrogen deposition on soil multifunctionality, particularly C and N cycling

Researchers conducted a 10-month soil incubation experiment to examine how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics interact with nitrogen deposition to affect soil function. The study found that microplastics modified both carbon and nitrogen cycling processes, with polyethylene enriching bacteria involved in nitrate processing and polylactic acid enhancing nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Evidence indicates that the combined effects of microplastics and nitrogen deposition on soil ecosystem functions are more complex than either stressor alone.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 131 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics Addition on Soil Available Nitrogen in Farmland Soil

Researchers conducted soil incubation experiments adding polyethylene microplastics at varying concentrations to farmland soil from Fujian Province, China, finding that microplastics altered soil available nitrogen dynamics by affecting nitrate, ammonium, and dissolved organic nitrogen levels as well as soil microbial communities.

2022 Agronomy 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic effects on soil nitrogen storage, nitrogen emissions, and ammonia volatilization in relation to soil health and crop productivity: mechanism and future consideration

This review examines how microplastics made from polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polypropylene affect nitrogen cycling and ammonia release in agricultural soils. Researchers found that these plastic particles can alter soil structure, shift microbial community composition, and disrupt the processes that store and release nitrogen. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in farmland may have cascading effects on soil fertility and crop productivity.

2025 Frontiers in Plant Science 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics distinctly affect soil microbial community and carbon and nitrogen cycling during plant litter decomposition

Researchers measured how polyethylene microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon cycling in agricultural soils, finding that microplastic addition shifted microbial diversity and suppressed key carbon mineralization processes. The results suggest microplastic accumulation in farmland could impair soil carbon storage.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution on the soil and its consequences on the nitrogen cycle: a review

This review examines microplastic pollution impacts on soil nitrogen cycling, finding that microplastics alter soil structure, serve as novel microbial colonization surfaces, and affect the microbial communities responsible for nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing soil gross nitrogen transformation through regulation of microbial nitrogen-cycling genes by biodegradable microplastics

This study found that biodegradable microplastics from agricultural plastic film boosted nitrogen cycling in soil by increasing the activity of microbes involved in nitrogen processing. While this might seem beneficial for crop growth, the accelerated nitrogen transformation could also increase nitrous oxide emissions (a potent greenhouse gas) and lead to nitrogen runoff that pollutes waterways.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect C, N, and P cycling in natural environments: Highlighting the driver of soil hydraulic properties

This study found that common microplastics like polyethylene and polypropylene significantly change how soil handles water and nutrients by increasing water content, reducing soil density, and altering bacterial communities involved in nitrogen and carbon cycling. These changes affected how nutrients are stored in soil, with increases of 12 to 93 percent in nitrogen and carbon storage depending on the plastic type and amount. The findings suggest microplastic pollution could disrupt the fundamental soil processes that support food production.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 53 citations
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
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect organic nitrogen in sediment: The response of organic nitrogen mineralization to microbes and benthic animals

Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics affect organic nitrogen cycling in sediments, measuring the responses of key nitrogen-transforming microorganisms. They found microplastics alter the composition of organic nitrogen and suppress certain nitrogen cycling processes.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinct influence of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on microbe-driving nitrogen cycling processes in soils and plastispheres as evaluated by metagenomic analysis

Researchers compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable microplastics affect nitrogen cycling by soil microbes. They found that biodegradable microplastics caused stronger changes to microbial communities and nitrogen processing pathways than conventional plastics, particularly by enriching certain bacteria on their surfaces. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastic mulch alternatives may significantly alter soil nutrient cycling in agricultural settings.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 156 citations
Article Tier 2

[Advances in the Effects of Microplastics on Soil N2O Emissions and Nitrogen Transformation].

This review synthesizes current research on how microplastics affect soil nitrogen cycling, including N2O emissions, nitrogen transformation processes, functional enzyme activity, and nitrogen-related genes, highlighting inconsistent findings due to variability in microplastic properties, experimental conditions, and spatial-temporal scales.

2024 PubMed
Article Tier 2

[Advances in Research of the Effects and Mechanisms of Polyethylene Microplastics on Soil Nitrogen Transformation].

This review examines the effects and mechanisms by which polyethylene microplastics — the dominant microplastic type in Chinese agricultural soils — influence elemental cycling processes in soil, summarizing findings on carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus dynamics under microplastic exposure.

2024 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling microplastic's role in nitrogen cycling: Metagenomic insights from estuarine sediment microcosms

Researchers used metagenomic analysis to examine how polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics affect nitrogen cycling in estuarine sediments. They found that microplastics altered the abundance of genes involved in key nitrogen transformation processes like nitrification and denitrification. The study reveals that microplastic pollution in estuaries may disrupt important biogeochemical cycles that support aquatic ecosystem health.

2024 Environmental Pollution 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics alter the microbial functional gene abundances and increase nitrous oxide emissions from paddy soils

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics in paddy soils significantly increased nitrous oxide emissions by altering microbial community structure and functional gene abundances related to nitrogen cycling.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 189 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Diversity as a Potential Driver of Soil Denitrification Shifts

Researchers conducted a soil microcosm experiment to study how the diversity of microplastic types (rather than just individual types) affects soil ecosystem functions. They found that increasing microplastic diversity raised soil pH and organic carbon while reducing available nitrogen, and significantly boosted bacterial diversity and denitrifying gene abundance. The findings suggest that realistic mixtures of multiple microplastic types in soil may have stronger impacts on nitrogen cycling than single-type contamination.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 6 citations