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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of Environmentally Relevant Microplastic and Nanoplastic Concentrations on Soil Hydro-Physical Properties: A Global Meta-Analysis
ClearMicroplastics have shape- and polymer-dependent effects on soil aggregation and organic matter loss – an experimental and meta-analytical approach
This meta-analysis combined with lab experiments shows that different shapes of microplastics affect soil differently. Fiber-shaped microplastics were especially harmful, breaking apart soil structure and increasing the loss of organic matter — changes that could reduce soil health and crop productivity over time.
Impact of Microplastics on Soil Health: Soil-Water Retention, Shrinkage and Holding Properties
A review of research on microplastics in soil found that plastic particles can alter water retention, shrinkage, and structural properties in ways that could reduce agricultural productivity. Because microplastics are as prevalent in soils as in oceans, their terrestrial impacts warrant much greater research attention.
Macro- and micro-plastics change soil physical properties: a systematic review
This systematic review examines how plastic particles — both large and microscopic — change important soil properties like water retention, density, and structure. These changes can affect how well soil supports plant growth and produces food, raising concerns about the long-term impact of plastic pollution on agriculture.
Effects of microplastic pollution on agricultural soil and crops based on a global meta‐analysis
This meta-analysis examined data from studies worldwide to assess how microplastic pollution affects agricultural soil and crops. Researchers found that microplastics can alter soil properties including enzyme activity and nutrient availability, with effects varying by plastic type, concentration, and size. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in farmland may affect both soil health and crop growth in ways that depend heavily on local conditions.
Microplastics have shape- and polymer-dependent effects on soil processes
This meta-analysis combined published research with lab experiments to show that microplastic shape matters when it comes to soil health effects. Fibers were especially harmful to soil structure regardless of their chemical makeup, while films and foams have been largely overlooked in research. Since healthy soil is essential for growing safe food, understanding how different microplastic shapes affect soil helps us grasp the full scope of plastic pollution's impact.
Microplastic effects on soil system parameters: a meta-analysis study
Microplastics in soil did not significantly affect dissolved organic carbon, nutrient availability, microbial diversity, or crop biomass, but they did significantly increase soil microorganism abundance and decrease water-stable macro-aggregates, pointing to soil structure degradation as the primary concern.
Soil microplastic characteristics and the effects on soil properties and biota: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Meta-analysis of 2,886 experimental groups found that microplastics significantly decreased soil bulk density and aggregate stability, indicating structural damage, while also reducing plant root biomass and soil phosphatase activity. Invertebrates were more sensitive to microplastics than other soil organisms, as particles can pass through nematode gut walls causing oxidative stress and altered gene expression.
Concentration‐ and Size‐Dependent Influences of Microplastics on Soil Hydraulic Properties and Water Flow
Researchers investigated how microplastic concentration and particle size affect soil hydraulic properties and water flow. They found that microplastic contamination reduced saturated conductivity by up to 50% and inhibited water infiltration, with higher concentrations and larger particle sizes leading to weaker soil water-holding capacity.
Microplastics alter soil structural stability as quantified by high-energy moisture characteristics
Scientists found that adding polypropylene and polyethylene microplastic fibers to soil changed its physical structure by altering pore spaces and weakening soil aggregates. Larger fiber sizes and higher concentrations caused more disruption to soil water retention and drainage. These changes to soil structure could affect crop growth and water management on farms where microplastic contamination from irrigation or mulch films has accumulated.
Effects of microplastics on soil physical, chemical and biological properties
This review examines how microplastics affect soil health, covering their impact on the physical structure, chemical composition, and biological communities of soil ecosystems. Microplastics can alter soil water retention, change nutrient cycling, and harm soil organisms from earthworms to microbes. Since agricultural soils are a major reservoir of microplastics, these changes could affect crop growth and food quality, creating an indirect pathway for microplastic-related harm to human health.
Do Added Microplastics, Native Soil Properties, and Prevailing Climatic Conditions Have Consequences for Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Soil? A Global Data Synthesis of Pot and Greenhouse Studies
This meta-analysis examined how microplastics affect carbon and nitrogen levels in soil, which are key to soil fertility. The results show that certain types of plastics — especially smaller, fiber-shaped particles — can significantly alter soil chemistry, potentially affecting crop growth and soil health.
Micro/nanoplastics pollution poses a potential threat to soil health
This large meta-analysis of over 5,000 observations found that micro- and nanoplastics in soil harm crop growth, soil organisms, and microbial communities while increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The findings suggest that plastic pollution poses a broad threat to soil health, which could ultimately affect food production and human well-being.
Can Microplastic Pollution Change Soil-Water Dynamics? Results from Controlled Laboratory Experiments
Researchers conducted controlled laboratory experiments examining how microplastic shape and concentration affect soil water-holding capacity and evaporation in fine sand, finding through statistical and non-parametric analyses that microplastic pollution at environmentally relevant concentrations significantly altered both hydrological parameters.
Impacts of Microplastics on the Soil Biophysical Environment
Four common microplastic types (polyacrylic fibers, polyamide beads, polyester fibers, PE fragments) were added to loamy sand soil at environmentally relevant concentrations in a garden experiment and effects on soil-water relationships, structure, and microbial function were measured over 5 weeks. Results showed that microplastics altered water repellency, aggregate stability, and microbial activity in a plastic-type-dependent manner, confirming that microplastics can disrupt fundamental soil biophysical processes.
Potential impacts of microplastic pollution on soil–water–plant dynamics
Researchers tested how different shapes and sizes of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) microplastics affect a soil's ability to hold water, finding that fragment-shaped microplastics increased water retention by up to 36% — a significant change that could alter water availability for crops and affect agricultural planning in contaminated soils.
Global meta-analysis reveals differential effects of microplastics on soil ecosystem
This meta-analysis pooled data from 114 studies to understand how microplastics affect soil ecosystems at different concentrations. Higher microplastic levels reduced soil organic matter and microbial activity, suggesting that increasing plastic pollution could degrade the soil that supports our food supply.
Formation, behavior, properties and impact of micro- and nanoplastics on agricultural soil ecosystems (A Review)
This review provides a comprehensive look at how micro and nanoplastics affect agricultural soil ecosystems, covering their sources, movement through soil, and impacts on soil organisms and crop growth. The authors found that microplastics can alter soil structure, reduce beneficial microbial activity, and affect plant nutrient uptake. These changes to farmland soils could ultimately threaten food security and introduce microplastics into the human food supply.
Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance
Researchers tested six different types of microplastics in soil and found that they altered key soil properties including water-holding capacity, bulk density, and microbial activity. These changes in soil structure had cascading effects on plant growth, with some microplastic types reducing above-ground biomass. The study demonstrates that microplastics can fundamentally change how soil functions, with consequences for plant health and ecosystem stability.
Distribution characteristics of soil microplastics and their impact on soil physicochemical properties in agricultural areas of the North China plain
Microplastics are accumulating across agricultural soils of the North China Plain, with this study finding moderate-to-low abundance across multiple land use types and detecting that plastic particles affect soil texture, bulk density, and water-holding capacity. Altered soil physical properties from microplastic contamination could impair crop growth and soil fertility over time, with implications for food security.
Effects of Microplastics on Soil Hydraulic Properties
Researchers investigated how pristine and UV-weathered polypropylene granules and polyester fibers affect soil hydraulic properties in a silt loam soil, finding that microplastic incorporation altered bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, water holding capacity, and aggregate stability in ways that depended on particle shape and weathering state.
Impacts of Nano- and Microplastic Contamination on Soil Organisms and Soil–Plant Systems
Nano- and microplastic contamination was found to negatively affect soil organic matter dynamics and the activity of soil organisms. The research adds to growing evidence that plastic particles impair the biological processes that maintain soil health and fertility.
Tiny pollutants, big consequences: investigating the influence of nano- and microplastics on soil properties and plant health with mitigation strategies
Researchers reviewed the impact of nanoplastics and microplastics on soil properties and plant health, examining absorption and translocation mechanisms in plants. The study suggests that plastic particles alter soil structure and microbial communities, impair plant growth and nutrient uptake, and proposes mitigation strategies to address these emerging threats to agricultural ecosystems.
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.
The Growing Problem of Soil Pollution with Microplastics: a Review
This review examined how microplastic accumulation in soil disrupts physicochemical properties including structure, porosity, and water retention, impairs soil microbial communities, inhibits plant growth, and causes oxidative stress, with agricultural soils identified as especially vulnerable to contamination.