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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Polyethylene microplastics interfere with the nutrient cycle in water-plant-sediment systems
ClearEffects 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.
[Response of Water-Vallisneria natans-Sediment System to Polyethylene Microplastics].
This study examined how polyethylene microplastics affect the water-Vallisneria natans-sediment system, finding that microplastic exposure alters aquatic plant physiology, sediment microbial activity, and nutrient cycling dynamics.
The effects of polypropylene microplastics on the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from water by Acorus calamus, Iris tectorum and functional microorganisms
Researchers investigated how polypropylene microplastics affect the ability of aquatic plants and their associated microorganisms to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from water. They found that microplastic stress reduced the nutrient absorption capacity of the plants and altered the microbial communities responsible for nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may undermine the effectiveness of wetland-based water purification systems.
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.
Microbial Community Dynamics and Biogeochemical Cycling in Microplastic-Contaminated Sediment
This review summarizes current research on how microplastics alter microbial communities and nutrient cycling processes in sediments at the bottom of water bodies. Researchers found that the effects depend on the type of plastic, exposure duration, and the specific sediment environment, with biodegradable plastics causing the most significant changes. The study highlights that microplastics in sediments can reshape the microbial ecosystems that drive essential biogeochemical processes like carbon and nitrogen cycling.
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.
Shifting enzyme activity and microbial composition in sediment coregulate the structure of an aquatic plant community under polyethylene microplastic exposure
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect underwater plant communities and found that the impact varies significantly by species. Canopy-forming plants actually grew more under microplastic exposure, while rosette-forming species declined sharply, shifting the overall community structure. The study suggests that microplastics in freshwater sediments can reshape aquatic ecosystems by altering enzyme activity and microbial composition in ways that favor some plant species over others.
Microplastics Alter Growth and Reproduction Strategy of Scirpus mariqueter by Modifying Soil Nutrient Availability
Researchers exposed the coastal wetland plant Scirpus mariqueter to four microplastic types (PP, PE, PS, PET) at three concentrations and found microplastics altered plant biomass, vegetative traits, and reproductive allocation, with PET and PS causing the strongest effects by disrupting soil nutrient availability.
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.
Microplastics strengthen nitrogen retention by intensifying nitrogen limitation in mangrove ecosystem sediments
In a lab experiment simulating mangrove wetland sediments, microplastics altered nutrient cycling by intensifying nitrogen limitation, which changed how microbes processed nitrogen. While focused on environmental impacts, this matters because mangrove ecosystems are important coastal filters, and disrupting their nutrient cycles could affect downstream water quality and the health of seafood that humans consume.
Microplastics affect the ecological stoichiometry of plant, soil and microbes in a greenhouse vegetable system
Researchers added polyethylene microplastics to greenhouse vegetable soil at different concentrations and found significant disruption to the balance of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the soil, soil microbes, and the plants themselves. Higher concentrations of microplastics altered the soil chemistry and shifted microbial communities, which could affect nutrient cycling and crop health. This matters for human health because microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil may impact the nutritional quality of the food we eat.
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.
Growth of grasses and forbs, nutrient concentration, and microbial activity in soil treated with microbeads
Researchers found that polyethylene and polystyrene microbeads in soil reduced plant biomass, altered microbial enzyme activity, and decreased nitrogen content, suggesting microplastics disrupt soil ecosystem functions across multiple nutrient cycling pathways.
Effects of polyethylene microplastics and heavy metals on soil-plant microbial dynamics
This study examined how polyethylene microplastics interact with heavy metals in soil and found that microplastics significantly reduced plant growth while altering soil enzyme activity and microbial communities. The combination of microplastics and heavy metals disrupted nutrient cycling in the soil in ways that were different from either pollutant alone. These findings suggest that microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect crop nutrition and food production.
Effect of microplastics on ecosystem functioning: Microbial nitrogen removal mediated by benthic invertebrates
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal in freshwater sediments where chironomid larvae and microorganisms coexist. They found that while microplastics and larvae each individually promoted nitrogen removal by boosting denitrifying bacteria, combining them together produced less benefit than expected. The study suggests that rising microplastic concentrations may disrupt the natural nitrogen cycling that benthic invertebrates help maintain in freshwater ecosystems.
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.
Effects of microplastics on inorganic nitrogen dynamics in surface water sediments under different disturbance intensities
Laboratory experiments showed that microplastics in sediments alter nitrogen cycling in freshwater systems in ways that depend strongly on concentration: low levels boosted ammonium release, while high levels suppressed it and amplified nitrate consumption. These disruptions to the nitrogen cycle could affect water quality and aquatic productivity, especially in systems that are frequently disturbed by dredging or flooding.
Microplastics and leaf litter decomposition dynamics: New insights from a lotic ecosystem (Northeastern Italy)
Researchers studied how microplastics affect the natural decomposition of plant litter in a freshwater stream over four seasons, finding that microplastics had a small but measurable negative effect on decomposition rates and accumulated inside the invertebrates responsible for breaking down organic matter. These findings suggest microplastic pollution subtly disrupts the nutrient cycling processes that keep freshwater ecosystems healthy.
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.
Polylactic acid microplastics facilitate nitrogen removal in freshwater sediments by modulating carbon-nitrogen coupling
Laboratory incubations showed that PLA microplastics enhance nitrogen removal in freshwater sediments by releasing carbon compounds that fuel denitrifying bacteria, reducing nitrate levels in the water. While counterintuitive — a plastic aiding water quality — this finding reveals that biodegradable microplastics can actively reshape nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems in ways that standard risk models do not capture.
The impacts of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics (mPETs) on ecosystem functionality in marine sediment
Researchers found that PET microplastics disrupted key ecosystem functions in marine sediments over a 31-day experiment, impairing nutrient cycling and the activity of bivalves and microphytobenthos. The results suggest that even moderate concentrations of microplastics can harm the ecological services provided by seafloor communities.
Microplastics affect sedimentary microbial communities and nitrogen cycling
A microcosm experiment showed that microplastics added to salt marsh sediment altered microbial community composition and disrupted nitrogen cycling, including reduced denitrification rates, suggesting that microplastic contamination could impair important biogeochemical functions.
Ecological impacts of polylactic acid and polylactic acid-polyethylene microplastics on freshwater ecosystems: Insights from a water–Vallisneria natans–sediment system
Researchers tested the effects of biodegradable PLA and PLA-polyethylene blend microplastics on a freshwater ecosystem containing aquatic plants and sediment. Both types of microplastics altered water chemistry, reduced plant growth, increased oxidative stress, and shifted the microbial communities in both water and sediment. The study demonstrates that even biodegradable plastic alternatives can disrupt freshwater ecosystems in meaningful ways.
The prevalence of microplastics on the earth and resulting increased imbalances in biogeochemical cycling
This study examines how microplastics are disrupting natural biogeochemical cycles, finding that plastic particles can block elemental transfers between reservoirs and create novel shortcuts in nutrient cycling, altering the flow of matter and energy through Earth's ecosystems.