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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics change the leaching of nitrogen and potassium in Mollisols
ClearShort-term effects of polyethene and polypropylene microplastics on soil phosphorus and nitrogen availability
Researchers examined the short-term effects of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics on soil nutrient cycling, finding that these particles can alter the availability of phosphorus and nitrogen depending on microplastic size and fertilization conditions.
Polyethylene microplastic and soil nitrogen dynamics: Unraveling the links between functional genes, microbial communities, and transformation processes
Researchers conducted a six-month experiment to understand how polyethylene microplastics in soil affect nitrogen cycling, a process critical for soil fertility and plant nutrition. They found that while total nitrogen levels stayed stable, microplastics significantly altered the forms of nitrogen present by increasing ammonium and nitrate while decreasing dissolved organic nitrogen. The study suggests that microplastics reshape soil microbial communities and their nitrogen-processing activities, potentially disrupting the natural nutrient balance in agricultural soils.
Size and concentration-dependent effects of polyethylene microplastics on soil chemistry in a microcosm study
Researchers tested how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect soil chemistry in a controlled lab setting. They found that the smallest microplastic particles reduced the soil's ability to hold nutrients by nearly 13% and altered dissolved organic matter, while also leaching phthalate chemicals into the soil. The study suggests that as microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils, they could impair important soil functions related to nutrient retention and pollutant movement.
[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.
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.
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.
Microplastics Influence Phosphate Adsorption in Volcanic Ash Soil
Researchers found that adding polyethylene microplastics to volcanic ash soil slightly increased the soil's ability to hold phosphorus but also made phosphorus easier to wash away, potentially reducing its availability to plants. This suggests microplastic contamination in farmland soils could quietly alter nutrient cycling in ways that affect crop growth.
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.
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.
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.
Microplastics Have Widely Varying Effects on Soil
Researchers found that microplastic concentrations as low as 0.4% alter soil drainage, with potential downstream consequences for crop growth and plant productivity.
Effect of different microplastics on the mobilization of soil inorganic phosphorus by exomycorrhizal fungi
Researchers examined how different microplastic types affect soil inorganic phosphorus mobilization, finding that polymer type and particle size influence phosphorus release from soil minerals, with implications for nutrient cycling in plastic-contaminated soils.
Impact of Microplastic Contamination on Phosphorus Availability, Alkaline Phosphatase Activity, and Polymer Degradation in Soil
Researchers studied how different types of microplastics at various concentrations affect phosphorus availability and enzyme activity in soil. They found that microplastics altered phosphorus cycling both by directly supplying phosphorus in some cases and by changing microbial enzyme function. The study suggests that microplastic contamination could disrupt soil nutrient dynamics important for maintaining agricultural productivity.
Effects of micro(nano)plastics on soil nutrient cycling: State of the knowledge.
This review systematically examined how micro- and nano-plastics affect soil nutrient cycling for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, finding that physical interference with soil structure, alteration of microbial communities, and chemical toxicity collectively disrupt mineralization, nitrification, and phosphorus availability in contaminated soils.
Polyethylene microplastics interfere with the nutrient cycle in water-plant-sediment systems
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect nutrient cycling in freshwater systems containing submerged plants and sediment. They found that the microplastics significantly reduced nitrogen and carbon content in plant leaves and disrupted the microbial communities in sediment responsible for nutrient processing. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can interfere with fundamental biogeochemical cycles that maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems.
Microplastic presence significantly alters soil nitrogen transformation and decreases nitrogen bioavailability under contrasting temperatures
Researchers found that both polyethylene and biodegradable PLA microplastics significantly decreased soil nitrogen bioavailability at 25 degrees Celsius by reducing nitrate and mineral nitrogen levels, with effects varying between clay and sandy loam soils.
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.
Quantification and identification of microplastics in organic fertilizers: the implication for the manufacture and safe application
Researchers measured microplastic contamination in 23 commercial organic fertilizers, finding widespread presence at levels that could meaningfully contribute to agricultural soil pollution when fertilizers are applied. The results raise concerns about organic fertilizers as an underappreciated pathway for microplastics entering farm soils and the food system.
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.
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.
Nonlinear microbial nutrient limitation responses to biodegradable vs. conventional microplastics under long-term agricultural management
Researchers sampled long-term agricultural plots to compare how biodegradable and conventional microplastics affect microbial nutrient limitation in soil. Both types of MPs altered microbial metabolism, with biodegradable MPs in some cases causing greater disruption to nutrient cycling than conventional plastics.
Soil nutrient levels regulate the effect of soil microplastic contamination on microbial element metabolism and carbon use efficiency
Researchers conducted greenhouse experiments to examine how different types of microplastics in soil affect microbial nutrient metabolism and carbon use efficiency. They found that degradable polylactic acid microplastics stimulated microbial activity differently than non-degradable polyethylene, and that soil nutrient levels played a key role in regulating these effects. The study suggests that understanding the interaction between microplastics and soil nutrients is critical for predicting impacts on soil carbon cycling.
Potential impact and mechanism of aged polyethylene microplastics on nitrogen assimilation of Lactuca sativa L.
Researchers investigated how aged polyethylene microplastics of different sizes affect nitrogen uptake and metabolism in romaine lettuce. They found that aged microplastics, especially smaller particles, accumulated in the plants and disrupted nitrogen assimilation processes. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils may affect crop nutrition and quality by interfering with how plants absorb and process essential nutrients.
Fertilization accelerates the decomposition of microplastics in mollisols
Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers accelerated the breakdown of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) microplastics in agricultural soil, leading to smaller fragments. This finding suggests that common farming practices may inadvertently speed up microplastic fragmentation, potentially increasing the number of small particles in soil and food crops.