Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Remediation of Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil Using Potential Microbes Isolated from a Closed Disposal Site

Bacteria isolated from a closed landfill site were tested for their ability to remove heavy metals from contaminated soil, with promising results for lead and chromium removal. Microorganisms that can clean up metal-contaminated soils are relevant to the broader challenge of remediating sites contaminated with plastic-associated heavy metals.

2017 International Journal of Bioscience Biochemistry and Bioinformatics 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in heavy metal-contaminated soil drives bacterial community and metabolic changes

Researchers found that adding common microplastics to soil already contaminated with heavy metals significantly changed the bacterial communities and their metabolic processes. The microplastics increased competition among bacteria and shifted how they process energy, while Proteobacteria became more abundant as a stress response. This matters because when microplastics and heavy metals combine in agricultural soil, they may disrupt the microbial ecosystems that keep soil healthy for growing food.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Soil-Dwelling Bacterial Community Changes Induced by Microplastic Ex posure Using Amplicon Sequencing

Researchers analyzed soil bacterial community composition after microplastic contamination, finding that different polymer types caused distinct shifts in microbial diversity and functional groups, with implications for soil nutrient cycling and agricultural productivity.

2025 Korean Science Education Society for the Gifted
Article Tier 2

Study of Heavy Metals and Microbial Communities in Contaminated Sediments Along an Urban Estuary

Researchers studied heavy metal contamination and microbial community composition in estuarine sediments along an urban waterway, finding that urbanization-driven metal accumulation significantly altered microbial diversity and community structure.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic Effects of Earthworms and Plants on Chromium Removal from Acidic and Alkaline Soils: Biological Responses and Implications

Not relevant to microplastics — this study examines how earthworms and plants work together to remove chromium from contaminated soils, testing bioremediation effectiveness across different soil acidities and pollution levels.

2023 Biology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Microorganisms in Bioavailability of Soil Pollutants

This review examined the role of soil microorganisms in controlling the bioavailability of soil pollutants, discussing how microbial transformations affect the mobility, toxicity, and ultimate fate of heavy metals, organic contaminants, and other soil hazardous substances.

2023 One Health 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil pH has a stronger effect than arsenic content on shaping plastisphere bacterial communities in soil

Soil pH had a stronger influence than arsenic contamination on shaping the bacterial communities colonizing microplastic surfaces (plastisphere) in contaminated soils, highlighting pH as a key driver of plastisphere ecology.

2021 Environmental Pollution 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of long-term microplastic pollution on soil heavy metals and metal resistance genes: Distribution patterns and synergistic effects

Using metagenomics on cropland soils with long-term plastic film residues, researchers found that microplastic pollution alters heavy metal distribution and promotes the enrichment of metal resistance genes in soil microbial communities, with implications for food security.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Vertically co-distributed vanadium and microplastics drive distinct microbial community composition and assembly in soil

Researchers investigated the vertical co-distribution of vanadium and microplastics in soil profiles at a vanadium smelting site. The study found that both contaminants were present throughout the soil column and drove distinct changes in microbial community composition and assembly, suggesting combined impacts on soil ecosystem functioning.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Isolates in Microplastic-Polluted Soil

Researchers isolated and characterized microbial communities from microplastic-polluted soil, identifying bacteria capable of colonizing plastic surfaces and assessing their potential roles in plastic degradation and soil nutrient cycling.

2024 African Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Research
Article Tier 2

Soil microplastics pollution can reduce viral abundance and have less consistent impacts on bacteria

Researchers exposed soils containing natural microbial communities to polyethylene and PVC microplastics and found that both types consistently reduced viral abundance, while effects on bacteria were more variable, suggesting microplastic pollution may alter the balance of microbial communities that regulate soil processes.

2025 Applied Soil Ecology
Article Tier 2

Microplastic particles alter wheat rhizosphere soil microbial community composition and function

Researchers found that microplastic particles altered wheat rhizosphere soil microbial community composition and function, with different polymer types inducing distinct shifts in bacterial diversity and nutrient cycling processes.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 139 citations
Article Tier 2

Can Microplastic Pollution Change Important Aquatic Bacterial Communities?

Microplastics in coastal sediments can change the composition of important bacterial communities that cycle nutrients and maintain ecosystem health. Microplastic-associated bacteria differ significantly from natural sediment bacteria, with potential consequences for the chemical processes these communities perform.

2021 Frontiers for Young Minds
Article Tier 2

Aging microplastic aggravates the pollution of heavy metals in rhizosphere biofilms

Researchers found that aging microplastics aggravate heavy metal pollution in rhizosphere biofilms, with weathered MPs accumulating more metals and altering microbial community structure in the root zone, potentially increasing contaminant transfer to plants.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics shape microbial communities affecting soil organic matter decomposition in paddy soil

Researchers found that microplastics shape soil microbial communities in paddy soils in ways that affect organic matter decomposition, revealing how bacterial succession and carbon cycling are altered by microplastic presence in agricultural systems.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 181 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of microplastics in microbial community structure and functions in urban soils

Researchers analyzed 42 soil samples from seven types of urban areas and found that microplastics in city soil significantly alter the makeup and activity of microbial communities. Higher microplastic levels were linked to changes in bacteria involved in nutrient cycling and organic matter breakdown. This matters because healthy soil microbes are essential for urban green spaces, food gardens, and ultimately the quality of produce grown in city environments.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Trace Metal Contamination Impacts Predicted Functions More Than Structure of Marine Prokaryotic Biofilm Communities in an Anthropized Coastal Area

Researchers examined how trace metal contamination in Toulon Bay affected marine prokaryotic biofilm communities colonizing polycarbonate plates at five sites along a contamination gradient, finding that metal pollution altered predicted microbial functions more than it changed overall community structure.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Traditional microplastics alter microbial community, metabolites and nutrition in heavy metal-contaminated coastal saline soil

Researchers added three types of microplastics to coastal soil already contaminated with heavy metals (cadmium, copper, and zinc), finding that the plastics altered soil chemistry, shifted microbial communities, disrupted metabolic pathways, and changed how available the toxic metals were to organisms. These findings suggest microplastics can worsen existing heavy metal pollution by changing how metals move through soil ecosystems.

2025 Communications Earth & Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterizing Microplastic Pollution and Microbial Community Status in Rice Paddy Soils Across Varied Environmental Settings in Songjiang, Shanghai: An Analysis of Morpho-Chemical Characteristics

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution and associated microbial communities in rice paddy soils, finding widespread microplastic contamination that correlated with shifts in soil bacterial diversity. Plastic-associated microbial communities differed from bulk soil communities, suggesting microplastics create distinct microbial niches in agricultural environments.

2024 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial community structure in landfill soils : Case study in Serbia

This case study analyzed bacterial and fungal communities in soils from an active landfill, a remediated landfill, and adjacent agricultural land in Serbia, using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize how landfill conditions and expected high microplastic loads shape soil microbial communities.

2025 REDUN - Repository of the EDUCONS University
Article Tier 2

Plastics and Microplastic: A Major Risk Factor to the Soil, Water and Marine Environments

This paper reviews the risks microplastics pose to soil, freshwater, and marine environments, including effects on soil microbial communities, aquatic organisms, and human health through the food chain. It identifies bacterial communities and biotransformation processes as critical factors in understanding microplastic fate.

2019 Current Biotechnology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil microbiome: The impacts of polymer type, shape, and concentration

Researchers examined how different microplastic polymer types, shapes, and concentrations affected soil bacterial communities, finding that these physical characteristics induced distinct shifts in soil microbiome composition and diversity.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 215 citations
Article Tier 2

A Review on Microplastic in the Soils and Their Impact on Soil Microbes, Crops and Humans

This review examines microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, detailing how microplastic particles act as vectors for toxic organic pollutants and heavy metals, disrupting soil physicochemical properties, microbial communities, crop growth, and ultimately entering the human food chain.

2022 International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioinformatic study of the soil microbiome under different cropping systems

This doctoral thesis compares soil microbial communities across different cropping systems using bioinformatics and next-generation sequencing, identifying how intensive agricultural practices degrade soil biodiversity. Healthy soil microbiomes are critical for crop productivity and may influence how soils respond to emerging pollutants like microplastics.

2022