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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Nanoplastic pollution inhibits stream leaf decomposition through modulating microbial metabolic activity and fungal community structure
ClearImpacts of low concentrations of nanoplastics on leaf litter decomposition and food quality for detritivores in streams
Researchers found that low concentrations of polystyrene nanoplastics impaired leaf litter decomposition in forested streams by reducing aquatic hyphomycete fungal activity and decreasing food quality for detritivore invertebrates, threatening stream ecosystem function.
Response of a simulated aquatic fungal community to nanoplastics exposure and functional consequence on leaf decomposition
Researchers exposed a simulated stream fungal community to nano-polystyrene and found that even low concentrations (1–100 µg/L) suppressed fungal reproduction and reduced the abundance of Geotrichum candidum, slowing leaf litter decomposition by up to 27.9% and disrupting a key aquatic nutrient cycling function.
Polystyrene nanoparticles intensify the algae-mediated negative priming effect on leaf litter decomposition
Researchers showed that polystyrene nanoplastics intensify the natural inhibitory effect of benthic algae on leaf litter decomposition in streams, reducing decomposition rates by 21%, by depleting labile carbon transfer from algae to fungal decomposers and reducing fungal diversity, including key decomposer genera essential for aquatic nutrient cycling.
Effects of microsized and nanosized polystyrene on detrital processing and nutrient dynamics in streams
Researchers exposed a stream detrital food chain — leaf-decomposing microbes and a river snail — to nano- and microsized polystyrene particles and found that nanosized particles suppressed microbial growth while boosting certain enzymes, whereas microsized particles reduced leaf nitrogen content and snail feeding, indicating distinct ecological disruption pathways depending on particle size.
Effects of nanoplastic exposure routes on leaf decomposition in streams
Researchers conducted a microcosm experiment showing that dietary exposure to nanoplastics — through eating contaminated leaf litter — more severely disrupts stream food webs than waterborne exposure, reducing microbial enzyme activity, lowering leaf lipid content, and decreasing river snail feeding rates by up to 17%.
Nanoplastics intensify metal-induced impacts in freshwater ecosystems
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics — both bare and carboxylated — intensified metal-induced impairment of leaf litter decomposition by aquatic hyphomycetes in freshwater microcosms, with combined stressor effects observed at environmentally relevant concentrations and amplified at higher exposures.
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.
Nanoplastic-mediated disruption of freshwater carbon cycling via modulating of plankton communities
Researchers exposed freshwater mesocosms to polystyrene nanoplastics (80–500 nm) at 1 mg/L and found significant disruption of zooplankton and bacterial community structure, which altered carbon cycling processes — suggesting nanoplastics can impair the ecosystem functions that regulate freshwater carbon flux.
Microplastics alter the leaf litter breakdown rates and the decomposer community in subtropical lentic microhabitats
Researchers exposed leaf litter decomposition systems to microplastics and measured breakdown rates and decomposer community composition, finding that microplastics slowed litter breakdown and shifted the abundance of invertebrate shredders and microbial decomposers. The study suggests microplastics could disrupt nutrient cycling in freshwater ecosystems by impairing a foundational ecological process.
Microplastics and silver nanoparticles compromise detrital food chains in streams through effects on microbial decomposers and invertebrate detritivores
Researchers tested how microplastics and silver nanoparticles, both common pollutants from personal care products, affect stream food webs built around decomposing leaf litter. They found that both pollutants, alone and in combination, reduced fungal decomposition and harmed invertebrate feeding and growth, disrupting the base of the food chain. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of these contaminants in freshwater could impair nutrient cycling in stream ecosystems.
Evidence of micro and macroplastic toxicity along a stream detrital food-chain.
Both micro- and macroplastic polyethylene pieces inhibited the decomposition of leaf litter in freshwater streams, with microplastics reducing the feeding activity of stream invertebrates. Since leaf litter decomposition is a critical process that nutrients and energy flow into freshwater food webs, plastic pollution could disrupt these fundamental ecosystem functions.
Exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics reduces bacterial and fungal biomass in microfabricated soil models
Researchers used micro-engineered soil models to study how polystyrene nanoplastics affect soil bacteria and fungi. They found that nanoplastic exposure reduced both bacterial and fungal biomass, with bacteria showing a linear dose-dependent decline and fungi being affected even at the lowest concentrations. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution in soil may suppress the microbial communities essential for healthy soil function.
Do microbial decomposers find micro- and nanoplastics to be harmful stressors in the aquatic environment? A systematic review of in vitro toxicological research
Researchers systematically reviewed in vitro studies on how bacteria and fungi respond to micro- and nanoplastics, finding that polystyrene particles and E. coli dominate the literature and that nanoplastic toxicity commonly disrupts antioxidative systems, gene expression, and cell membrane integrity in microbial decomposers.
Emerging Microplastics Alter the Influences of Soil Animals on the Fungal Community Structure in Determining the Litter Decomposition of a Deciduous Tree
Researchers investigated how microplastics in forest soil affect the interactions between soil animals and fungal communities during leaf litter decomposition. They found that the presence of microplastics altered fungal community structure and disrupted the beneficial influence that soil animals normally have on decomposition processes. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in forest ecosystems could interfere with nutrient cycling by changing how decomposer communities function.
Synergistic effects of nanoplastics and graphene oxides on microbe-driven litter decomposition in streams
Researchers ran a controlled aquatic experiment combining nanoplastics and graphene oxide to study their effects on leaf litter decomposition, finding that the combination altered bacterial diversity, boosted certain enzymatic activities, and produced time-dependent effects—initially inhibiting then promoting decomposition—with bacteria more affected than fungi.
Microplastics have lethal and sublethal effects on stream invertebrates and affect stream ecosystem functioning
Using a mesocosm experiment, researchers showed that microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations caused lethal and sublethal effects on freshwater invertebrates and reduced key ecosystem functions including leaf litter decomposition and algal colonization of streambed substrates.
Polystyrene nanoplastics shape microbiome and functional metabolism in anaerobic digestion
Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics and microplastics affect the microbial communities and biochemical processes in anaerobic digestion systems used for waste treatment. They found that nanoplastics had a more disruptive effect than microplastics, significantly altering the composition and metabolic functions of the microbial community. The study suggests that plastic contamination in waste streams could reduce the efficiency of anaerobic digestion, a widely used waste processing technology.
Can microplastics from personal care products affect stream microbial decomposers in the presence of silver nanoparticles?
This study exposed freshwater fungal decomposers to microplastics from personal care products and silver nanoparticles, individually and in combination, finding that both pollutants reduced microbial activity and that combined exposure often produced additive or synergistic inhibition. The results highlight the risk to stream-based decomposition processes from personal care product-derived pollutants.
Impacts of Lead and Nanoplastic Co-Exposure on Decomposition, Microbial Diversity, and Community Assembly Mechanisms in Karst Riverine Miscanthus Litter
Researchers conducted a 90-day experiment exposing plant litter in simulated karst river conditions to lead, nanoplastics, and their combinations. Low-dose nanoplastics accelerated litter decomposition while high doses suppressed it, and co-exposure with lead produced complex, non-linear effects. The study found that bacterial communities remained resilient to contamination, while fungal communities were far more vulnerable, suggesting fungi are the weaker link in pollutant-stressed decomposition processes.
Does functionalised nanoplastics modulate the cellular and physiological responses of aquatic fungi to metals?
Researchers investigated how functionalized nanoplastics interact with copper to affect aquatic fungi that play important roles as decomposers in freshwater ecosystems. The study found that polystyrene nanoplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations can modulate the cellular and physiological responses of the fungus Articulospora tetracladia to copper exposure.
Polystyrene microplastics facilitate formation of refractory dissolved organic matter and reduce CO2 emissions
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics altered the composition and function of microbial communities in aquatic environments, promoting the formation of refractory dissolved organic matter that resists further breakdown. This shift in organic matter composition also led to reduced carbon dioxide emissions from the water system. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may have unexpected effects on aquatic carbon cycling by changing how organic matter is processed by microbes.
Effects of polystyrene nanoparticles on the microbiota and functional diversity of enzymes in soil
Polystyrene nanoparticles applied to soil at environmentally relevant concentrations caused significant reductions in microbial biomass and disrupted the activity of enzymes critical for nutrient cycling within 28 days. The study provides the first experimental evidence that nanoplastics can act as antimicrobial agents in soil, with potential consequences for soil fertility and ecosystem function.
Polyethylene microplastics interfere with the nutrient cycle in water-plant-sediment systems
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect nutrient cycling in freshwater systems containing submerged plants and sediment. They found that the microplastics significantly reduced nitrogen and carbon content in plant leaves and disrupted the microbial communities in sediment responsible for nutrient processing. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can interfere with fundamental biogeochemical cycles that maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems.
Microplastics in freshwaters: Comparing effects of particle properties and an invertebrate consumer on microbial communities and ecosystem functions
Researchers tested how different microplastic properties, including concentration, shape, and polymer type, affect microbial communities and ecosystem functions in freshwater environments. They found that the presence of an invertebrate consumer had a stronger influence on microbial activity than the microplastics themselves, though high concentrations of certain particle shapes did alter community composition. The study suggests that the ecological effects of microplastics in freshwater depend heavily on the broader biological context.