Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agricultural soil: Unveiling their role in shaping soil properties and driving greenhouse gas emissions

This review examines how microplastics in agricultural soils affect carbon and nitrogen cycles and alter greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers found that microplastics reduce soil water retention, decrease soil respiration, and increase emissions of carbon monoxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The study reveals that microplastic contamination in farmland may have broader climate implications by disrupting the soil processes that regulate greenhouse gas fluxes.

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

Effects of microplastics on soil properties: Current knowledge and future perspectives

This review examines how microplastics affect soil health, including changes to soil structure, chemistry, and the microbial communities that keep soil fertile. The effects vary depending on the type, shape, and amount of plastic present, but in many cases microplastics alter nutrient availability and can even influence greenhouse gas emissions from soil. These changes could threaten crop productivity and food safety, since microplastics are now found in agricultural soils worldwide.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 837 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic effects on carbon cycling processes in soils

Researchers reviewed how microplastics affect carbon cycling processes in soils, including their influence on microbial activity, plant growth, and litter decomposition. Since microplastics are themselves carbon-based materials, they can directly alter soil carbon stocks while also indirectly shifting microbial communities. The study calls for a major research effort to understand the widespread effects of microplastics on soil functioning and terrestrial ecosystem health.

2021 PLoS Biology 503 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic effects on carbon cycling in terrestrial soil ecosystems: Storage, formation, mineralization, and microbial mechanisms

Microplastics in soil contribute to organic carbon storage through degradation and leaching, but also disrupt carbon cycling by altering plant growth, litter decomposition, and microbial activity. The net effect on soil CO2 and CH4 emissions varies depending on how microplastics reshape microbial community structure and enzyme activity.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Presence of different microplastics promotes greenhouse gas emissions and alters the microbial community composition of farmland soil

Researchers examined how five types of microplastics (PVC, PP, PE, PS, and PET) at different concentrations affect greenhouse gas emissions and microbial communities in farmland soil. The study found that microplastic presence promoted greenhouse gas emissions and altered the composition of soil microbial communities, with effects varying by plastic type and concentration.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological effect of microplastics on soil microbe-driven carbon circulation and greenhouse gas emission: A review

This review examines how microplastics in soil affect carbon cycling by altering microbial activity, with implications for greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Researchers found that microplastics can change soil structure, nutrient availability, and microbial community composition in ways that affect how carbon is stored or released from soil. The study suggests that widespread microplastic contamination in agricultural and natural soils could have far-reaching consequences for the global carbon balance.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of soil microplastic pollution in climate change

This review examined the bidirectional relationship between soil microplastic pollution and climate change, exploring how microplastics affect soil carbon cycling, greenhouse gas emissions, and how climate factors influence microplastic behavior in soils.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on greenhouse gas emissions and the microbial community in fertilized soil

Two particle sizes of microplastics were added to fertilized soil and their effects on dissolved organic carbon, greenhouse gas fluxes, and microbial communities were measured, finding reduced global warming potential due to decreased methane emissions but changes in bacterial and fungal community composition. The study reveals complex interactions between microplastics and soil carbon cycling processes.

2019 Environmental Pollution 529 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 effects on soil organic matter dynamics and bacterial communities under contrasting soil environments

Researchers compared microplastic effects on soil organic matter dynamics and bacterial communities across contrasting soil environments, finding that the type of microplastic polymer and soil conditions together determine whether microbial activity and carbon cycling are stimulated or suppressed.

2024
Article Tier 2

The effect of polyvinyl chloride microplastics on soil properties, greenhouse gas emission, and element cycling-related genes: Roles of soil bacterial communities and correlation analysis

Researchers investigated how PVC microplastics of different shapes and concentrations affect soil properties, greenhouse gas emissions, and nutrient cycling. They found that microplastic particles significantly increased carbon dioxide emissions and altered bacterial communities involved in element cycling. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could disrupt important environmental processes including carbon and nitrogen cycling.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 21 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics alter soil carbon cycling: Effects on carbon storage, CO 2 and CH 4 emission and microbial community

This systematic review examines how microplastics in soil affect carbon cycling, including greenhouse gas emissions and carbon storage. The effects depend heavily on plastic type and size, with biodegradable plastics generally having a bigger impact. Understanding these soil-level changes matters because disrupted carbon cycles can worsen climate change, which in turn affects the food and water systems we all depend on.

2024 Cambridge Prisms Plastics 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on microbial community and greenhouse gas emission in soil: A critical review

This review examines how microplastics in soil affect microbial communities and greenhouse gas emissions, finding that microplastics can alter the abundance and activity of soil bacteria in ways that increase carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide release. The plastics change soil structure and chemistry, creating conditions that favor certain gas-producing microbes over others. These effects could worsen climate change while also disrupting soil fertility, with indirect consequences for food production.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 14 citations
Article Tier 2

A Double‐Edged Sword of Biodegradable Microplastics on the Soil Microbial Carbon Pump

Researchers found that biodegradable microplastics in soil had a double-edged effect: they increased carbon dioxide emissions (contributing to greenhouse gases) but also boosted the efficiency of soil microbes at storing carbon in stable forms. This suggests microplastic pollution in farmland has complex environmental consequences that go beyond simple contamination, potentially affecting both climate change and long-term soil health.

2025 Global Change Biology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil organic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in the context of straw incorporation: A comparison with different types of soil

Researchers combined microplastic treatments with straw incorporation in different soil types and measured effects on soil organic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, finding that microplastics altered carbon cycling and in some soils increased CO2 and N2O emissions.

2021 Environmental Pollution 159 citations
Article Tier 2

The impacts of microplastics on the cycling of carbon and nitrogen in terrestrial soil ecosystems: Progress and prospects

This review examines how microplastics in soil affect the cycling of carbon and nitrogen, two elements essential for plant growth and soil health. Microplastics alter soil microbial communities and enzyme activity in ways that change greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient availability, which could ultimately affect crop production and the food supply.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 67 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

Legacy effect of microplastics on plant–soil feedbacks

Researchers examined the legacy effects of microplastic contamination on plant-soil feedbacks using soil previously conditioned with various microplastic types, finding that residual microplastics altered soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling in ways that affected subsequent plant growth.

2022 Frontiers in Plant Science 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Soil Carbon Mineralization: The Crucial Role of Oxygen Dynamics and Electron Transfer

Researchers investigated how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics affect carbon cycling in soil, focusing on oxygen dynamics and electron transfer processes. They found that microplastics alter dissolved oxygen distribution at the microscale, which in turn influences how organic matter breaks down and whether carbon is released as CO2 or methane. The study reveals a previously overlooked mechanism by which microplastics can disrupt fundamental soil carbon processes.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 126 citations
Review Tier 2

Recent Insights into Microplastic Pollution and Its Effects on Soil Carbon: A Five-Year Ecosystem Review

This review of 46 studies examines how microplastics influence carbon cycling in different soil ecosystems. The majority of studies reported increased CO2 and methane emissions in soils containing microplastics, though some found opposite or neutral effects depending on soil type and the characteristics of the microplastics, highlighting the need for further research to understand these complex interactions.

2025 Microplastics 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Can microplastics mediate soil properties, plant growth and carbon/nitrogen turnover in the terrestrial ecosystem?

This review assessed evidence for microplastic effects on soil properties, plant growth, and carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics were found to alter soil structure, water retention, microbial activity, and nutrient cycling, with cascading effects on plant growth and soil organic matter turnover.

2022 Ecosystem Health and Sustainability 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil carbon dioxide emissions and the microbial functional genes involved in organic carbon decomposition in agricultural soil

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics in agricultural soil affect carbon dioxide emissions and the microbial genes responsible for breaking down organic matter. They found that aged microplastics boosted soil carbon dioxide output and shifted the abundance of genes involved in decomposing starch, cellulose, and other carbon compounds. The findings suggest that microplastic accumulation in farmland may alter soil carbon cycling in ways that could influence greenhouse gas emissions.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 210 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on soil greenhouse gas emissions in agroecosystems: Does it depend upon microplastic shape and soil type?

Researchers conducted a 56-day experiment to test how different shapes of microplastics affect greenhouse gas emissions across three soil types. They found that microplastic fibers increased both carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions by over 20% in iron-rich Ferralsols, but had no significant effect in the other two soil types. The study suggests that the impact of microplastics on soil greenhouse gases depends on both particle shape and the inherent buffering capacity of the soil.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil under stress: The importance of soil life and how it is influenced by (micro)plastic pollution

This review examines how plastic pollution in soil disrupts soil organisms and microorganisms that regulate essential ecosystem functions, finding that plastic alters soil chemistry, physical structure, and microbial communities in ways that threaten primary production and carbon cycling.

2022 Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal 78 citations