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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics affect greenhouse gas emissions through chemical diversity and microbial biodiversity
ClearDiscrepant soil microbial community and C cycling function responses to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Scientists compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon cycling. Researchers found that the two types of microplastics had markedly different effects, with biodegradable plastics causing more changes to microbial community structure and carbon-related gene activity. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics, while designed to be more environmentally friendly, may still significantly alter soil biology.
Effects of biodegradable microplastics and straw addition on soil greenhouse gas emissions
Researchers tested how biodegradable microplastics made from polylactic acid (PLA) affect greenhouse gas emissions from soil, both with and without added crop straw. They found that high concentrations of PLA microplastics significantly increased carbon dioxide emissions while decreasing nitrous oxide emissions, suggesting that even biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastic mulch films can meaningfully alter soil chemistry and gas cycles.
Microplastics alter microbial structure and assembly processes in different soil types: Driving effects of environmental factors
Researchers investigated how biodegradable polylactic acid and conventional polyethylene microplastics affect soil microbial communities across different soil types. They found that PLA increased dissolved organic carbon and pH while decreasing nitrogen availability, whereas polyethylene had contrasting effects depending on soil type. The study reveals that microplastic impacts on microbial community structure and assembly processes are soil-type-specific, with dissolved organic carbon driving changes in red soil and pH being the primary factor in fluvo-aquic soil.
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.
Field response of N2O emissions, microbial communities, soil biochemical processes and winter barley growth to the addition of conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Researchers conducted a field study comparing the effects of conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PLA microplastics on soil greenhouse gas emissions, microbial communities, and winter barley growth. They found that both types of microplastics altered soil nitrogen cycling and microbial community composition, though biodegradable plastics showed distinct degradation patterns. The study suggests that switching to biodegradable agricultural plastics does not necessarily eliminate the environmental impacts of microplastic contamination in farmland soils.
Insights into effects of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on organic carbon decomposition in different soil aggregates
Researchers compared how conventional polypropylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics affect carbon decomposition in different sizes of soil aggregates. Both types of microplastics increased carbon dioxide emissions from soil, but the effects varied depending on particle type, concentration, and aggregate size. The study reveals that microplastics can alter soil carbon cycling at a fundamental structural level, with biodegradable plastics not necessarily being more benign than conventional ones.
Biodegradable and conventional microplastics exhibit distinct microbiome, functionality, and metabolome changes in soil
Researchers compared the effects of conventional plastics (polyethylene and polystyrene) and biodegradable plastics (polylactide and polybutylene succinate) on soil microbial communities. They found that both types of microplastics significantly altered soil microbial composition, but biodegradable microplastics had a more pronounced impact on soil metabolic function and microbial activity than conventional ones.
Differential carbon accumulation of microbial necromass and plant lignin by pollution of polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics in soil
This study found that both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics changed how carbon is stored in soil. The plastics increased carbon from dead microbes while decreasing carbon from plant material, with most of the additional soil carbon coming from fungal remains. These changes to soil chemistry matter because they could affect agricultural productivity and the ability of soil to store carbon, with broader implications for climate and food systems.
Mixing effect of polylactic acid microplastic and straw residue on soil property and ecological function
A pot experiment examined effects of polylactic acid (biodegradable) microplastics and straw residue on soil microbial communities and carbon/nitrogen dynamics, finding that PLA MPs had minimal effect on bacterial diversity but interacted with carbon availability to alter microbial function. The results suggest biodegradable microplastics are not ecologically neutral in soil ecosystems.
Comparative evaluation of the impacts of different microplastics on greenhouse gas emissions, microbial community structure, and ecosystem multifunctionality in paddy soil
Researchers compared the effects of polylactic acid, low-density polyethylene, and polypropylene microplastics on greenhouse gas emissions and soil ecosystem functions in paddy soil over 41 days. They found that all three microplastic types increased soil carbon nutrients and pH, while suppressing CO2 and N2O emissions in most cases, leading to reduced global warming potential. The study suggests that different microplastic polymers have varying effects on soil ecosystem multifunctionality, with some types improving it and others having detrimental effects.
Insights into soil microbial assemblages and nitrogen cycling function responses to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Researchers compared how biodegradable polylactic acid and conventional PVC microplastics affect soil bacteria and nitrogen cycling processes. They found that both types of microplastics altered microbial communities, but biodegradable plastics had distinct effects on nitrogen-processing bacteria and did not simply behave as a harmless alternative. The study suggests that switching to biodegradable plastics may change rather than eliminate the impact of microplastic contamination on soil health.
The plastisphere of biodegradable and conventional microplastics from residues exhibit distinct microbial structure, network and function in plastic-mulching farmland
Researchers compared the bacterial communities that colonize biodegradable and conventional plastic microplastics in farmland soil. They found that biodegradable plastics (PBAT/PLA) and conventional polyethylene each attracted distinct microbial communities with different functions, including bacteria that could degrade plastics or cycle nutrients. The results suggest that even biodegradable plastics create unique microbial environments in soil that may affect soil health and function in unexpected ways.
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.
Microplastic Impacts on Greenhouse Gases Emissions in Terrestrial Ecosystems
A 90-day laboratory experiment tested how high-density and low-density polyethylene microplastics at 0-0.1% (w/w) soil concentrations affect greenhouse gas emissions from terrestrial soils. The study found that microplastic type and concentration influenced CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions differently, with implications for microplastic contributions to climate change.
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.
Unveiling the hidden impact: How biodegradable microplastics influence CO2 and CH4 emissions and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) profiles in soil ecosystems
Researchers investigated how biodegradable microplastics from PBAT, PBS, and PLA affect greenhouse gas emissions and volatile organic compounds in paddy and upland soils. The study found that despite being biodegradable, these microplastics do not always promote soil emissions as expected, with PBAT and PLA actually reducing certain greenhouse gas fluxes under some conditions.
Conventional and biodegradable agricultural microplastics: effects on soil properties and microbial functions across a European pedoclimatic gradient
Researchers compared the effects of conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PBAT-starch mulching film microplastics on soil properties, microbial diversity, litter decomposition, and greenhouse gas emissions across soils from multiple European climates, finding type- and concentration-dependent effects on soil ecosystem function.
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.
Discrepant responses of bacterial community and enzyme activities to conventional and biodegradable microplastics in paddy soil
Researchers compared the soil effects of conventional polypropylene microplastics versus biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics in rice paddy soil over 41 days. Both types altered soil chemistry and bacterial communities, but they had different effects on enzyme activity, with PLA causing distinct changes to carbon and nitrogen cycling. This matters because biodegradable plastics, often assumed to be safer, still release microplastics that affect soil health and potentially food crops.
Microplastic composition-dependent effects on N2O emissions driven by changes in soil N process and microbial communities
This study found that biodegradable and conventional microplastics both reduced nitrous oxide emissions from plant-soil systems by 17-32%, but through different mechanisms: polyethylene promoted complete denitrification, PLA suppressed a key denitrification gene, and PBAT inhibited both nitrification and denitrification. A companion meta-analysis of 14 plant-soil studies confirmed that microplastics reduce N2O emissions by an average of 22% in vegetated systems.
Drought limits microplastic effects on soil greenhouse gas emissions by reducing microbial diversity
Researchers examined how microplastics and drought stress interact to affect greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils. They found that biodegradable microplastics increased nitrous oxide production compared to conventional polyethylene, but drought conditions consistently suppressed overall greenhouse gas output by reducing microbial diversity. The study highlights the complex interplay between plastic pollution and climate stress in shaping soil emissions and nutrient cycling.
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.
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.
Soil biota modulate the effects of microplastics on biomass and diversity of plant communities
Researchers used mesocosm experiments with natural soil biota to compare the effects of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics on plant community biomass and diversity. Soil biota modulated the impact of microplastics, with biodegradable plastics showing similar effects to conventional plastics on plant community structure, challenging the assumption that biodegradable alternatives are environmentally benign.