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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics alter nitrous oxide production and pathways through affecting microbiome in estuarine sediments
ClearPolyethylene 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.
Estuarine plastisphere as an overlooked source of N2O production
Researchers found that the "plastisphere" — the community of microbes that colonizes floating plastic debris in estuaries — produces more nitrous oxide (a potent greenhouse gas) than surrounding water, revealing that plastic pollution may be quietly contributing to climate change through altered microbial chemistry.
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.
Microplastics promote N2O emissions by enhancing nitrification via ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in estuarine and coastal sediments
Incubation experiments with sediments from China's Yangtze River estuary found that polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET microplastics all significantly increased nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions — a potent greenhouse gas — by stimulating ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) rather than the archaea that normally dominate nitrogen cycling. Genomic analysis revealed that these bacteria carry enzymes capable of degrading plastic, possibly explaining why they thrive in plastic-contaminated sediments. This links microplastic pollution to climate change through an overlooked pathway: disrupting coastal nitrogen cycling and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Microplastics transport and impact on nitrogen cycling and N2O emissions in estuaries
This review synthesized evidence on how microplastics disrupt nitrogen cycling and amplify nitrous oxide emissions in estuarine ecosystems, proposing an integrative conceptual model. Microplastics affect nitrogen transformation through adsorption of nitrogenous compounds, microbial community restructuring, enzymatic inhibition, and promotion of incomplete denitrification within plastisphere biofilms.
Effects of microplastics on nitrogen and phosphorus cycles and microbial communities in sediments
Researchers found that PVC, PLA, and polypropylene microplastics altered nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in freshwater sediments by shifting microbial community composition, with effects varying by polymer type and biodegradability.
Impact of aged and virgin microplastics on sedimentary nitrogen cycling and microbial ecosystems in estuaries
Researchers compared how weathered versus new microplastics affect nitrogen cycling in estuary sediments and found that aged microplastics had a faster, more significant impact on key processes like denitrification. Weathered polystyrene particles also increased nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. The study suggests that the environmental risks of microplastics grow as they age and weather in natural settings.
Effects of microplastics on denitrification and associated N2O emission in estuarine and coastal sediments: insights from interactions between sulfate reducers and denitrifiers
This study investigated how microplastics affect nitrogen cycling and greenhouse gas emissions in estuary sediments by altering the interactions between two key types of bacteria. Microplastics disrupted the balance between sulfate-reducing and nitrogen-removing bacteria, with different effects depending on location in the estuary. These changes could worsen water quality in coastal zones where microplastic pollution is severe, potentially affecting fisheries and water resources that communities depend on.
Reshaping the plastisphere upon deposition: Promote N2O production through affecting sediment microbial communities in aquaculture pond
This study examined how microplastics deposited in aquaculture pond sediments shape microbial biofilm communities (the plastisphere) and affect the broader sediment microbial community, including nitrogen-cycling bacteria involved in nitrous oxide production. Results showed that microplastics promoted N2O emissions by altering the sediment microbial structure.
Effects of microplastics on sedimentary greenhouse gas emissions and underlying microbiome-mediated mechanisms: A comparison of sediments from distinct altitudes
Researchers compared how PVC and polylactic acid microplastics affect greenhouse gas emissions from river sediments at different altitudes along the Yellow River. The study found that both types of microplastics increased carbon dioxide emissions by promoting the growth of organic-matter-degrading microbes, while PVC specifically boosted nitrous oxide emissions by enriching denitrifying bacteria.
Microplastic biofilms as potential hotspots for plastic biodegradation and nitrogen cycling: a metagenomic perspective
Researchers used genetic analysis to study the microbial communities that form biofilms on different types of microplastics in an estuarine environment. They found that these plastic-associated communities contained genes for both plastic degradation and nitrogen cycling, suggesting the biofilms may play dual roles in the ecosystem. The study indicates that microplastic surfaces in waterways create unique microbial habitats that could influence both pollution breakdown and nutrient processing.
Unveiling the impact of microplastics with distinct polymer types and concentrations on tidal sediment microbiome and nitrogen cycling
Researchers tested how five different types of microplastics at varying concentrations affect microbial communities and nitrogen cycling in tidal sediments over 30 days. They found that microplastics generally reduced microbial diversity and enhanced nitrogen fixation, with biodegradable PLA plastic showing concentration-dependent effects. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in coastal sediments can disrupt important nutrient cycling processes driven by microorganisms.
Elevated salinity amplifies polyethylene microplastic-induced soil nitrous oxide emissions
Elevated salinity was found to amplify the toxic effects of polyethylene microplastics on aquatic organisms, suggesting that marine and estuarine species face compounded stress from plastic exposure in saltwater environments. The interaction between salinity and microplastic toxicity has implications for risk assessments in coastal ecosystems.
Microplastics as drivers of carbon and nitrogen cycling alterations in aquatic ecosystems: A meta-analysis
This network meta-analysis found that microplastics enhance dissolved and total organic carbon in aquatic sediments, promote anaerobic processes, and stimulate greenhouse gas emissions including N2O and methane. In seawater sediments, microplastics significantly boosted denitrification gene abundance, while biodegradable microplastics showed stronger effects on carbon and nitrogen cycling than conventional plastics.
Microplastic diversity stimulates N2O emission during NO3−-N transformation by altering microbial interaction and electron consumption in eutrophic water
Researchers examined how mixtures of different microplastic types in eutrophic water bodies affect nitrous oxide emissions during nitrogen transformation. They found that greater microplastic diversity significantly increased N2O emissions by altering microbial community interactions and electron transfer processes. The study suggests that the combined presence of multiple microplastic types may amplify their environmental impact on greenhouse gas emissions from water systems.
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.
Biodegradable plastics can alter carbon and nitrogen cycles to a greater extent than conventional plastics in marine sediment
Researchers showed in controlled sediment microcosms that biodegradable plastics stimulate decomposition of buried marine organic carbon more than conventional plastics, producing twice the CO2 release to the water column and suppressing nitrogen flux — effects that could undermine coastal ecosystems' capacity to sequester carbon.
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.
Impacts and mechanism of biodegradable microplastics on lake sediment properties, bacterial dynamics, and greenhouse gasses emissions
Researchers found that biodegradable PBAT microplastics in lake sediments increased greenhouse gas emissions more than conventional polyethylene microplastics, altering sediment properties and microbial communities in ways that enhanced carbon dioxide and methane production.
Microplastics stimulated nitrous oxide emissions primarily through denitrification: A meta-analysis
Meta-analysis of 60 studies found that microplastic exposure increased soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by 140.6%, primarily by stimulating denitrification rates (up 17.8%) and denitrifier gene abundance (up 10.6%), while nitrification remained unaffected. This resulted in a 38.8% increase in soil nitrite and a 22.4% decrease in nitrate.
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.
Dose effect of polyethylene microplastics on nitrous oxide emissions from paddy soils cultivated for different periods
Researchers found that high doses of polyethylene microplastics (0.5% or more) significantly increased nitrous oxide emissions from paddy soils by promoting nitrifier and denitrifier activity, while low doses had negligible effects.
Depth-dependent response of soil microbial community and greenhouse gas efflux to polylactic acid microplastics and tidal cycles in a mangrove ecosystem
Researchers found that biodegradable plastic (PLA) microplastics in mangrove soil increased the release of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide and methane, from deeper soil layers. The microplastics altered soil bacterial communities in ways that boosted methane-producing organisms. This finding is important because biodegradable plastics are often marketed as environmentally friendly, but they may still harm ecosystems by accelerating carbon release from soils.
Microplastics promote methane emission in estuarine and coastal wetlands
This study found that microplastics in coastal and estuarine wetlands increase methane emissions by boosting the activity of methane-producing microorganisms while reducing methane-consuming ones. Both conventional and biodegradable plastics had this effect, meaning microplastic pollution is not just a direct health concern but also contributes to climate change by amplifying greenhouse gas release from natural ecosystems.