Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microbial Physiological Adaptation to Biodegradable Microplastics Drives the Transformation and Reactivity of Dissolved Organic Matter in Soil

Researchers studied how soil microbes adapt to biodegradable microplastics (PLA and PHA) and how this affects dissolved organic matter in agricultural soil over 56 days. They found that PLA tripled the oxidation of plant-derived organic matter by activating lignin decomposition pathways, while PHA doubled microbially derived compounds by accelerating bacterial protein synthesis and cell turnover. The study suggests that different biodegradable plastics trigger distinct microbial strategies that reshape soil carbon cycling.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial metabolism influences microplastic perturbation of dissolved organic matter in agricultural soils

Researchers studied how microplastics from both traditional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid plastics change the chemistry of dissolved organic matter in farm soil. Soil microbes broke down substances released by the plastics, altering the soil's chemical composition over 100 days. Surprisingly, the biodegradable plastic released compounds that soil bacteria could more readily use, and after aging, it had roughly 10 times the pollutant-absorbing capacity of polyethylene, suggesting that so-called biodegradable plastics may pose their own environmental risks in agricultural soil.

2024 The ISME Journal 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Influence Dissolved Organic Matter Transformation Mediated by Microbiomes in Soil Aggregates

Researchers conducted a 450-day experiment to study how microplastics alter the transformation of dissolved organic matter within soil aggregates, a process critical for soil stability and fertility. They found that microplastics destabilized organic matter in larger soil clumps while increasing its chemical complexity in smaller ones, with biodegradable plastics having the strongest effects. These changes were driven by shifts in microbial communities, suggesting that microplastic pollution could fundamentally alter how carbon cycles through agricultural soils.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Addition of biodegradable microplastics alters the quantity and chemodiversity of dissolved organic matter in latosol

Researchers found that adding biodegradable PBAT microplastics to tropical soil increased microbial and enzyme activity, which in turn altered the quantity and chemical diversity of dissolved organic matter, suggesting biodegradable plastics still significantly affect soil biogeochemistry.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polylactic acid microplastics on dissolved organic matter across soil types: Insights into molecular composition

Researchers investigated how biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics affect dissolved organic matter in three different types of paddy soil. They found that the microplastics altered the molecular composition of organic matter in soil-specific ways, with some soils showing increased humic substances and others showing more protein-like compounds. The study highlights that even biodegradable plastics can change soil chemistry, and the effects vary depending on soil type.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics InfluenceDissolved Organic Matter TransformationMediated by Microbiomes in Soil Aggregates

A 450-day incubation experiment found that microplastics altered dissolved organic matter transformation in different soil aggregate fractions by modifying microbial community composition and activity, potentially affecting long-term soil carbon dynamics. (Duplicate record of ID 10767.)

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Hydrolyzable microplastics in soil—low biodegradation but formation of a specific microbial habitat?

Hydrolyzable microplastics such as polylactic acid showed low biodegradation in soil despite their marketed degradability, while their surfaces hosted distinct microbial communities forming a specialized plastisphere. The study questions the environmental safety of biodegradable plastics in agricultural soil contexts.

2022 Biology and Fertility of Soils 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic coupled with soil dissolved organic matter mediated changes in the soil chemical and microbial characteristics

Researchers conducted a two-month incubation experiment to study how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect soil carbon composition and microbial communities. They found that microplastics altered the dissolved organic matter in soil and shifted how microbial communities utilized carbon sources. The study suggests that microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils may have cascading effects on soil health and nutrient cycling.

2024 Chemosphere 15 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Environmental Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The Structural and Functional Responses of Rhizosphere Bacteria to Biodegradable Microplastics in the Presence of Biofertilizers

Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics interact with biofertilizers in crop soils and found that even though biodegradable plastics are designed as greener alternatives, they still significantly altered soil bacterial communities and disrupted carbon metabolism pathways. The findings suggest that biodegradable microplastics may affect soil health differently than conventional plastics, but are not necessarily harmless.

2024 Plants 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter Regulates Soil Carbon Respiration via Microbial Ecophysiological Controls

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released by microplastics affects the way soil microbes process carbon. They found that compounds leaching from both new and aged microplastics stimulated soil carbon release, with aged microplastics having a larger effect by altering microbial community structure. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution may influence soil carbon cycling and potentially affect how effectively soils store carbon.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics InfluenceDissolved Organic Matter TransformationMediated by Microbiomes in Soil Aggregates

A 450-day incubation study found that microplastics altered dissolved organic matter (DOM) transformation in soil aggregates by disrupting microbiome composition and activity, with effects differing between macro- and micro-aggregate fractions.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Diverse Impacts of Microplastic-derived Dissolved Organic Matter at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations on Soil Dissolved Organic Matter Transformation

Researchers examined how dissolved organic matter leached from biodegradable and conventional agricultural mulch microplastics affects soil chemistry at environmentally realistic concentrations. They found that UV-exposed microplastic leachates were more bioavailable and caused greater changes to soil organic matter than those produced in dark conditions. The study suggests that even at low concentrations, microplastic-derived compounds can meaningfully alter soil carbon dynamics, with effects varying by soil type.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging of biodegradable microplastics and their effect on soil properties: Control from soil water

Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics made from PLA and PBAT break down in different soil types under varying water conditions. They found that while these plastics aged more in dry and alternating wet-dry conditions, flooded conditions caused bigger changes to soil chemistry, including increased dissolved organic carbon. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can meaningfully alter soil properties, and the effects depend heavily on moisture conditions.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-DerivedDissolved Organic Matter RegulatesSoil Carbon Respiration via Microbial Ecophysiological Controls

Researchers investigated how microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter influences soil carbon respiration, finding that carbon compounds leached from microplastics alter soil heterotrophic microbial ecophysiology and thereby affect carbon sequestration dynamics in contaminated soils.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Influence of biodegradable microplastics on soil carbon cycling: Insights from soil respiration, enzyme activity, carbon use efficiency and microbial community

Researchers investigated how biodegradable microplastics affect carbon cycling in soil by measuring respiration, enzyme activity, and microbial communities over 64 days. They found that certain biodegradable plastics, particularly polyhydroxyalkanoates, dramatically increased soil carbon emissions by up to 665% and significantly altered microbial community structure. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can substantially disrupt soil ecosystem processes when they break down into microplastic-sized particles.

2024 Environmental Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics shape microbial communities affecting soil organic matter decomposition in paddy soil

Researchers found that microplastics shape soil microbial communities in paddy soils in ways that affect organic matter decomposition, revealing how bacterial succession and carbon cycling are altered by microplastic presence in agricultural systems.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 181 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular insights into effects of PBAT microplastics on latosol microbial diversity and DOM chemodiversity

Researchers found that biodegradable PBAT microplastics significantly altered soil microbial community diversity and dissolved organic matter composition in tropical latosol over 120 days, with effects intensifying at higher microplastic concentrations.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 50 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Polylactic Acid Microplastics (PLA-MPs) on Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Communities of Wheat Rhizosphere Soil].

Researchers investigated how polylactic acid microplastics affect wheat rhizosphere soil and found that they significantly altered soil chemistry, increasing phosphorus and organic matter while decreasing total nitrogen and pH. The microplastics also reduced the richness and diversity of soil microorganisms, with larger particles and higher concentrations causing the greatest disruption. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can meaningfully reshape soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling in agricultural settings.

2025 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic effects on soil organic matter dynamics and bacterial communities under contrasting soil environments

Researchers compared microplastic effects on soil organic matter dynamics and bacterial communities across contrasting soil environments, finding that the type of microplastic polymer and soil conditions together determine whether microbial activity and carbon cycling are stimulated or suppressed.

2024
Article Tier 2

Reductive soil disinfestation influences microbial aging of low-density polyethylene and polyhydroxyalkanoate microplastics and microbial communities in plastispheres

Researchers examined how a soil treatment method called reductive soil disinfestation affects the breakdown of conventional and biodegradable microplastics in agricultural soil. They found that the treatment slowed the degradation of conventional polyethylene microplastics but accelerated the breakdown of biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate plastics. The study reveals that soil management practices can significantly influence how long different types of microplastics persist in farmland.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Transformation of Polylactic Acid (PLA) Microparticles in Soil and their Effects on Soil Properties: A Review

This review examined how polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics transform in soil over time and affect soil physical, chemical, and biological properties including pH, organic matter, nutrient cycling, and microbial communities, highlighting the complexities of PLA as a supposedly biodegradable agricultural plastic.

2025 International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences
Article Tier 2

Response of soil dissolved organic matter to microplastic addition in Chinese loess soil

Researchers added microplastics to loess soil at two concentrations and tracked dissolved organic matter over 30 days, finding that even moderate additions altered the rate of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus release, stimulated soil enzyme activity, and promoted accumulation of high-molecular-weight humic compounds — suggesting microplastic pollution reshapes soil nutrient cycling.

2017 Chemosphere 864 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable Polyesters and Low Molecular Weight Polyethylene in Soil: Interrelations of Material Properties, Soil Organic Matter Substances, and Microbial Community

Researchers examined how biodegradable polyesters and low molecular weight polyethylene behave in soil environments, investigating their interactions with soil organic matter and microbial communities over time. They found that both biodegradable and conventional polymer microplastics alter soil microbial community composition and interact with organic matter fractions, with biodegradable plastics showing distinct but not necessarily more benign effects than conventional plastics.

2022 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 16 citations