We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics are transferred by soil fauna and regulate soil function as material carriers
ClearTransport of microplastics by two collembolan species
Researchers exposed two species of soil springtails (collembolans) to surface-applied microplastics and found that these small invertebrates can transport plastic particles vertically into deeper soil layers as they move. This is one of the first demonstrations that soil fauna can redistribute microplastics downward in terrestrial ecosystems.
What do we know about how the terrestrial multicellular soil fauna reacts to microplastic?
This review analyzed the available literature on how soil-dwelling animals respond to microplastics and found evidence of uptake, bioaccumulation, and harmful effects across many groups including earthworms, springtails, and beetles. Most studies used high concentrations not yet found in real soils, limiting conclusions about current environmental risks.
The transport of microplastics by ants cannot be neglected in the soil ecosystem
Laboratory experiments demonstrated that ants can actively transport low-density polyethylene microplastics through soil, carrying particles both into their nests and across soil layers at rates that could meaningfully affect microplastic distribution at the ecosystem scale. The findings identify soil fauna as an underappreciated biotic driver of microplastic vertical and horizontal migration in soils.
Microplastics negatively affect soil fauna but stimulate microbial activity: insights from a field-based microplastic addition experiment
A meta-analysis of microplastic studies found that microplastics negatively affect soil fauna abundance and diversity while stimulating soil microbial activity, based on data from multiple laboratory experiments. The opposing effects on fauna and microbes suggest that microplastics can shift soil community structure in ways that alter ecosystem functions like decomposition and nutrient cycling.
Soil microplastics inhibit the movement of springtail species
This study found that soil microplastics impeded the movement of springtail species in laboratory experiments, with effects dependent on plastic particle size and concentration, suggesting potential ecological consequences for soil-dwelling invertebrates.
Addition of polyester in soil affects litter decomposition rates but not microarthropod communities
Adding polyester microplastics to soil slowed leaf litter decomposition rates but did not significantly alter the communities of soil microarthropods like mites and springtails. This suggests microplastics can disrupt important nutrient cycling processes in soil ecosystems even without directly killing soil-dwelling animals.
Interaction of Invertebrates and Synthetic Polymers in Soil: A Review
This review summarizes how microplastics in soil harm invertebrates including nematodes, springtails, and earthworms, while some soil animals can fragment or ingest and transport plastic particles. The presence of microplastics in soil disrupts the gut function of soil organisms that play critical roles in maintaining healthy, productive soils.
Leaching of microplastics enhanced through complex soil meso- and macrofaunal community transport
A mesocosm experiment showed that soil invertebrates — including earthworms and collembolans — actively transport microplastics deeper into the soil profile, significantly accelerating the downward movement of plastic particles beyond what occurs through water alone. This finding is important because it means microplastics can migrate more quickly into deeper soil layers and potentially into groundwater, expanding their environmental footprint well beyond the surface.
What do we know about how the terrestrial multicellular soil fauna reacts to microplastic?
This review analyzed published studies on how multicellular soil organisms (including earthworms, mites, springtails, and nematodes) ingest and respond to microplastics, finding that most studies used unrealistically high concentrations and that ecologically relevant effects on soil fauna remain poorly characterized.
Microplastics as Emerging Soil Pollutants
This review covers how microplastics enter and accumulate in soils, their effects on soil health, microbial communities, soil fauna, and plant growth, and the implications of widespread soil plastic contamination for ecosystem function.
Trophic predator-prey relationships promote transport of microplastics compared with the single Hypoaspis aculeifer and Folsomia candida
Researchers examined how soil microarthropods at different trophic levels contribute to the transport of microplastics through soil. They found that individual species moved microplastics vertically in soil, but predator-prey interactions between mites and collembolans significantly enhanced plastic transport compared to single-species scenarios. The findings suggest that food web dynamics in soil ecosystems play an important role in redistributing microplastic contamination.
Identification and quantification of macro- and microplastics on an agricultural farmland
Researchers examined how polystyrene microplastics affect the soil-dwelling springtail Folsomia candida and found that exposure altered gut microbiota composition and reduced reproductive output. The microplastics disrupted the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut of these important soil organisms. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in soils could have broader consequences for soil health by affecting the organisms that help maintain ecosystem functions like nutrient cycling.
What do we know about how the terrestrial multicellular soil fauna reacts to microplastic?
This review synthesized studies on how soil-dwelling animals — including earthworms, insects, and mites — respond to microplastic contamination, finding evidence of ingestion, tissue accumulation, and harmful effects across multiple soil organism groups. However, most studies used unrealistically high concentrations, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about risks at current environmental levels.
Ants actively carry microplastics
This study found that ants actively transport microplastic particles, carrying them both into and out of their nests, making them a previously overlooked pathway for microplastic movement in soils. Soil invertebrates may play a significant role in spreading microplastic contamination through terrestrial ecosystems.
Interactions of Microplastics Toward an Ecological Risk in Soil Diversity
This review examines the ecological risks of microplastics in soil environments, discussing their sources, global distribution, mechanisms of entry into soil food webs, effects on microbial communities and soil fauna, biomagnification through trophic levels, and implications for soil ecosystem services and biodiversity.
Underestimated and ignored? The impacts of microplastic on soil invertebrates—Current scientific knowledge and research needs
This review highlights the critical gap in research on how microplastics affect soil invertebrates, noting that soil ecosystems receive far more plastic pollution than oceans yet the ecological consequences for soil fauna remain poorly understood and largely unstudied.
Microplastic contamination in soil environment – a review
This review examines the sources, transport, degradation, and ecological impacts of microplastic contamination in soil environments. The study suggests that soil acts as both a major sink for microplastics and a conduit transporting them to aquatic systems, and that microplastics can negatively affect soil organisms and biogeochemistry, underscoring the need for more research on terrestrial microplastic pollution.
Meta-analysis reveals differential impacts of microplastics on soil biota
Soil microplastic contamination ranged from 0.34 to over 410,000 items/kg across sites, and their presence significantly increased mortality rates and decreased individual numbers, diversity, and reproduction of soil organisms, though biomass was unaffected due to opposing effects on different organism groups.
Effect of Macroplastic on Soil Invertebrates: a Case Study Using Morphological and Molecular Approaches
Large plastic fragments — not just microplastics — were found to harm soil invertebrate communities in Russia, reducing diversity and abundance in contaminated plots, suggesting that macroplastic pollution poses underappreciated risks to soil ecosystems.
Collembola laterally move biochar particles
Springtails (soil invertebrates) were found to actively transport biochar particles through soil, with particle movement varying by biochar feedstock type. This mechanism of biological particle transport in soil is relevant to understanding how microplastics might be redistributed through soil by invertebrates.