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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of polystyrene nanoparticles on the microbiota and functional diversity of enzymes in soil
ClearExposure 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.
Effects of different sizes of polystyrene micro(nano)plastics on soil microbial communities.
This study tested how polystyrene micro- and nanoplastic particles of three sizes affect soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling, finding that smaller particles caused greater disruption to nitrogen cycling and microbial activity. The results suggest that as plastics in soil fragment into smaller pieces over time, their impact on soil biology and fertility may worsen.
Growth reduction of- and interactions with nanoplastic particles in a soil bacterium and a soil fungus
Researchers found that nanosized polystyrene particles reduced the growth and enzymatic activity of both a soil bacterium (Pseudomonas) and a soil fungus (Coprinopsis), and that fungal hyphae strongly attracted nanoplastic beads, potentially concentrating them in specific soil pore spaces.
The Effect of Applying Model Nanoplastic Particles to Soil on the Composition of Its Microbial Community
Researchers conducted a one-month laboratory incubation experiment applying 0.55 µm polystyrene latex nanoplastics to soil to investigate effects on microbial community composition, finding that nanoplastic contamination altered soil microorganism diversity and activity in ways dependent on soil physicochemical properties and nanoplastic concentration.
Nanoplastics alter ecosystem multifunctionality and may increase global warming potential
Researchers evaluated how positively and negatively charged polystyrene nanoplastics affect soil ecosystem functions, including nitrogen removal, greenhouse gas emissions, and microbial communities, with and without earthworms. The study found that nanoplastics significantly altered soil microbial community structure and ecosystem multifunctionality, with positively charged particles having more pronounced effects, and evidence indicating that nanoplastics may increase global warming potential through altered greenhouse gas emissions.
Divergent responses in microbial metabolic limitations and carbon use efficiency to variably sized polystyrene microplastics in soil
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics of all sizes disrupted soil microbe metabolism, but the smallest particles (nanoscale, 0.1 micrometers) caused the most stress. Smaller particles were more likely to enter microbial cells directly and reduce the efficiency with which soil microbes process carbon. This matters because soil microbes play a critical role in carbon cycling, and widespread microplastic contamination could affect how soil stores and releases carbon.
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.
The effects of three different microplastics on enzyme activities and microbial communities in soil
Researchers added three types of microplastics (film PE, fiber PP, and sphere PP) to loamy and sandy soils and measured effects on enzyme activities and microbial communities, finding that all three types altered microbial community structure and nutrient-cycling enzyme activities in soil-type-dependent ways.
Inhibitory effect of microplastics on soil extracellular enzymatic activities by changing soil properties and direct adsorption: An investigation at the aggregate-fraction level
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect the activity of soil enzymes over 150 days, examining responses across different soil aggregate sizes. They found that microplastics inhibited enzyme activities by altering soil properties, directly adsorbing enzymes, and competing with microorganisms for space. The study reveals that microplastic pollution can undermine key biological processes that maintain soil quality, with different soil aggregate fractions responding in distinct ways.
Microplastics regulate soil microbial activities: Evidence from catalase, dehydrogenase, and fluorescein diacetate hydrolase
This review examines how microplastics affect the activity of soil microorganisms, finding that results range widely from boosting to suppressing microbial function depending on the type, size, and age of the plastic, as well as soil conditions. Smaller nanoplastics can directly damage microbial cells, while larger microplastics alter soil chemistry and the toxicity of co-existing pollutants. Since soil microbes drive processes critical to agriculture and food production, these disruptions could have downstream effects on human food systems.
Effects of polystyrene microplastics on the agronomic traits and rhizosphere soil microbial community of highland barley
Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect highland barley growth and the microbial communities in surrounding soil. They found that smaller particles reduced grain weight while larger particles decreased spike dimensions, and all microplastic treatments significantly lowered soil bacterial diversity. The study also showed that adding degrading bacteria helped restore microbial community structure closer to normal conditions.
Microplastics and Soil Nutrient Cycling
Microplastics accumulating in agricultural soils can disrupt the natural cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus by altering microbial communities and reducing soil enzyme activity. This review highlights that even at current environmental concentrations, microplastics may impair the soil ecosystem functions that underpin food production, though the full extent of effects on nutrient cycles remains incompletely understood.
Reprogramming of microbial community in barley root endosphere and rhizosphere soil by polystyrene plastics with different particle sizes
Barley plants grown in polystyrene microplastic- and nanoplastic-contaminated soil showed altered microbial communities in both the root endosphere and rhizosphere, suggesting plastic pollution can reshape plant-associated microbiomes. These shifts could have downstream consequences for plant health and soil nutrient cycling.
[Effects of Microplastic Pollution on Microbial Activity and Carbon Metabolism Function in Soil].
A laboratory experiment found that both conventional polystyrene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics significantly disrupt soil microbial communities, reducing enzyme activities and cutting soil carbon metabolism by up to 82% at high concentrations. Notably, biodegradable PLA caused more harm than conventional PS, likely because PLA degrades into dissolved organic matter and smaller particles that are more toxic to soil microbes. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are environmentally safe and highlights risks to nutrient cycling in contaminated soils.
Effect of Micro/Nano-Plastics Accumulation on Soil Nutrient Cycling
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics accumulate in soil and affect nutrient cycling by modulating soil nutrient availability, microbial community function, and enzyme activities involved in nitrogen cycling and other processes. The authors synthesize evidence from agricultural management contexts including composting, mulching, and sewage sludge application to highlight ecological risks.
Microplastics affect ecosystem multifunctionality: Increasing evidence from soil enzyme activities
This review examines how microplastics alter the activity of soil enzymes that are essential for nutrient cycling, decomposition, and carbon regulation. Biodegradable microplastics generally caused more pronounced effects than conventional plastics, and the changes in enzyme activity could ultimately affect soil fertility and the nutritional quality of crops grown for human consumption.
Effects of nanopolystyrene addition on nitrogen fertilizer fate, gaseous loss of N from the soil, and soil microbial community composition
Researchers found that nanopolystyrene particles added to agricultural soil disrupted nitrogen cycling by altering microbial community composition and increasing gaseous nitrogen losses, potentially reducing fertilizer efficiency and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions in agroecosystems.
Assessing Microplastic Contamination Effects on Soil Microbial Communities in Agricultural Land
This study sampled agricultural soils with varying degrees of microplastic contamination to assess effects on microbial diversity, abundance, and enzymatic activity, finding that higher microplastic concentrations reduced microbial diversity and suppressed nutrient-cycling enzyme activity.
Response of soil biochemical properties and ecosystem function to microplastics pollution
This study found that polyethylene microplastics significantly disrupted soil health by reducing enzyme activity, lowering nutrient availability, and impairing overall ecosystem function. Smaller microplastics caused more damage than larger ones, and the effects were dose-dependent, suggesting that as microplastic pollution accumulates in agricultural soil, it could increasingly threaten the soil health that food production depends on.
Nanoplastic pollution inhibits stream leaf decomposition through modulating microbial metabolic activity and fungal community structure
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics significantly inhibited leaf litter decomposition in freshwater streams, even at low concentrations. The study suggests this occurs through suppression of key microbial enzymes and shifts in fungal community structure, indicating that nanoplastic pollution could disrupt important nutrient cycling processes in freshwater ecosystems.
High‐density polyethylene microplastics in agricultural soil: Impact on microbes, enzymes, and carbon‐nitrogen ratio
Researchers assessed the impact of high-density polyethylene microplastics at various concentrations on agricultural soil over 60 days. The study found that microplastics caused non-uniform effects on microbial populations, reduced key enzyme activities through hydrogen bond formation with enzymes, and significantly altered the soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, suggesting potential long-term consequences for soil health.
Nanoplastics in the soil environment: Analytical methods, occurrence, fate and ecological implications
This review covered analytical methods, occurrence data, environmental fate, and ecotoxicological effects of nanoplastics in soils, finding that nanoplastics can alter soil chemistry, physical structure, and biota in ways that threaten both natural and agricultural ecosystem functions. The authors identify standardization of nanoplastic detection in soil as a critical research gap.
Microplastics alter soil enzyme activities and microbial community structure without negatively affecting plant growth in an agroecosystem
Researchers tested how three types of microplastics (polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC) affected plant growth, soil enzymes, and microbial communities in an agricultural setting. The study found that while microplastics suppressed several soil enzyme activities and altered carbon cycling, they did not negatively affect plant growth and in some cases actually enhanced above-ground and below-ground plant productivity.
Insights into the influence of polystyrene microplastics on the bio-degradation behavior of tetrabromobisphenol A in soil
Researchers investigated how aged polystyrene microplastics affect the breakdown of the flame retardant TBBPA in soil. The study found that aged microplastics slowed TBBPA degradation by about 22%, reduced beneficial soil enzyme activity, and shifted microbial communities, suggesting that weathered microplastics may worsen soil contamination problems.