Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Potential Effects of Microplastic on Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

This review examines how microplastics in soil affect arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, finding evidence that microplastics can alter fungal colonization of plant roots, spore production, and the broader soil microbiome, with cascading effects on plant nutrient uptake.

2021 Frontiers in Plant Science 89 citations
Article Tier 2

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance maize cadmium resistance and reduce translocation: Dependence on microplastics concentration

Researchers investigated how beneficial soil fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can help maize plants resist cadmium toxicity in soils contaminated with both microplastics and heavy metals. They found that high concentrations of polyethylene microplastics worsened cadmium toxicity, but inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi significantly improved plant growth, nutrient uptake, and photosynthesis. The study suggests that these fungi could serve as a biological tool for managing crop health in soils with combined microplastic and heavy metal contamination.

2026
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the plant-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal symbiotic system: type, size, and concentration

This review examines how different types, sizes, and concentrations of microplastics affect the symbiotic relationship between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in soil. The study found that low microplastic concentrations may stimulate fungal colonization, while higher levels generally inhibit it, and that biodegradable microplastics and nanoplastics tend to have stronger effects on the plant-fungal system than conventional microplastics.

2026 World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
Article Tier 2

Nitrogen fertilization and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi do not mitigate the adverse effects of soil contamination with polypropylene microfibers on maize growth

Researchers tested whether adding nitrogen fertilizer or beneficial soil fungi could offset the negative effects of polypropylene microfibers on maize plants. They found that neither nitrogen supplementation nor mycorrhizal fungi helped the plants overcome the growth reductions caused by microplastic contamination. The study suggests that microplastics harm crops through mechanisms beyond simple nutrient limitation, and that conventional farming practices may not be sufficient to counteract microplastic damage to soil health.

2023 Environmental Pollution 19 citations
Article Tier 2

The mycorrhizal symbiosis: research frontiers in genomics, ecology, and agricultural application

This review covers the latest advances in understanding mycorrhizal fungi, which form partnerships with plant roots to help them absorb nutrients and resist stress. While not directly about microplastics, mycorrhizal networks play a critical role in soil health, and research shows that microplastic contamination in soil can disrupt these beneficial fungal partnerships. Healthy mycorrhizal networks may also help buffer plants against some negative effects of soil pollutants, including microplastics.

2024 New Phytologist 187 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics and cadmium on plant growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in an agricultural soil

Researchers studied how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics interact with cadmium contamination to affect maize growth and beneficial soil fungi in agricultural soil. While polyethylene showed minimal direct plant toxicity, high doses of polylactic acid significantly reduced maize biomass, and both plastic types altered the communities of root-associated fungi. The study suggests that co-contamination of microplastics and heavy metals in farmland can jointly disrupt plant health and soil ecosystems.

2020 Chemosphere 643 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential impacts of two types of microplastics on Solanum lycopersicum L. and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Researchers investigated the potential impacts of two types of microplastics on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, examining how plastic pollution may disrupt plant-fungal symbiotic relationships in agricultural soils.

2022 Ceylon Journal of Science 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics modify plant-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi systems in a Pb-Zn-contaminated soil

Researchers examined how six types of microplastics affect sweet sorghum growth and soil fungal communities in soil contaminated with lead and zinc. They found that microplastics generally did not inhibit plant growth and in some cases promoted it, but they increased the uptake of heavy metals into plant shoots. The study suggests that microplastics may worsen the risks of heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils by enhancing metal accumulation in crops.

2025 Applied Soil Ecology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic types and shapes on the community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in different soil types

Researchers examined how different types and shapes of microplastics affect arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi communities across various soil types. The study found that microplastics alter soil structure and chemistry in ways that disrupt these beneficial fungi, which play crucial roles in nutrient exchange, soil stability, and water movement.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics on the microbial community structure of maize rhizosphere soil

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics from agricultural films affect the microbial communities in crop root zones (rhizosphere), finding shifts in bacterial diversity and function. Disrupting soil microbiomes through microplastic contamination could have downstream effects on soil fertility and crop health.

2021 中国生态农业学报 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Migration and accumulation of microplastics in soil-plant systems mediated by symbiotic microorganisms and their ecological effects

This study found that beneficial soil fungi (mycorrhizal fungi) actually accelerate the uptake of smaller microplastics by plant roots while slowing the uptake of larger ones. The microplastics disrupted the symbiotic relationship between the fungi and plants, reducing plant nutrient absorption and growth, which matters because crops grown in microplastic-contaminated soil may be less nutritious.

2024 Environment International 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi change toxic effects of different types of microplastics on Lactuca sativa L. by influencing plant metabolic processes

Researchers examined how beneficial soil fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence the toxic effects of different microplastics on lettuce. The study found that these fungi reduced the uptake and toxicity of PET microplastics but actually promoted the absorption of polypropylene and polystyrene, indicating that the interaction between soil microorganisms and microplastics depends strongly on polymer type.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on crop nutrition in fertile soils and interaction with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Researchers found that microplastic fibers at 0.4% concentration in soil disrupted potassium, magnesium, and sulfur uptake in onions, but that inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi buffered these negative effects by enhancing nutrient availability and plant uptake.

2021 Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Addition of polyester microplastic fibers to soil alters the diversity and abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and affects plant growth and nutrition

Researchers added polyester microplastic fibers to soil microcosms and monitored changes in microbial diversity and abundance over time, finding that fibers altered soil bacterial and fungal community structure at realistic environmental concentrations.

2024 European Journal of Soil Biology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of different microplastics on the activation of soil potassium by ectomycorrhizal fungi

This study found that both polypropylene (PP) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics hindered the growth of an ectomycorrhizal fungus and reduced how much potassium it could release from soil for plants, with PLA being the more harmful of the two. The findings matter because mycorrhizal fungi are critical for forest nutrient cycling, and microplastic contamination of soils could quietly degrade this ecosystem service.

2026 Global NEST Journal
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the Impact of Traditional and Biodegradable Mulch Film Residues on Heavy Metal Dynamics and Maize Productivity: Insights from Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Community Analysis

Researchers compared the long-term effects of traditional polyethylene and biodegradable mulch film residues on soil properties, heavy metal uptake in maize, and beneficial soil fungi communities. Traditional mulch residues increased the accumulation of arsenic and cadmium in maize roots while altering soil chemistry, whereas biodegradable mulch residues also affected fungal communities but in different ways. The study suggests that neither type of mulch film is without environmental consequence, and that their residues can influence both crop safety and soil microbial health.

2025 Agronomy 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and glomalin mediate the effects of microplastics on soil carbon storage

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and a soil protein called glomalin were found to mediate the effects of microplastics on plant growth and soil structure. This suggests that the ecological impact of microplastics in agricultural soils is shaped by the presence and health of fungal communities that support plant nutrition.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Soybean Growth and Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a sandy-loam

Researchers investigated how microplastics and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi interact to affect soybean growth and greenhouse gas emissions in sandy-loam soil, examining whether fungal colonization can mitigate microplastic-induced stress on plant development.

2025
Article Tier 2

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Can Inhibit the Allocation of Microplastics from Crop Roots to Aboveground Edible Parts

Scientists discovered that beneficial soil fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can reduce the amount of microplastics that travel from plant roots into the edible parts of lettuce. Plants grown with these fungi transported significantly fewer plastic particles to their leaves compared to plants without them. The findings suggest that natural fungal partnerships in soil could serve as a biological barrier helping protect food crops from microplastic contamination.

2023 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Coexistence of Microplastics and Biochar on the Abundance and Structure of Soil Fungal Communities

Researchers investigated the effects of polypropylene, polyethylene, and PVC microplastics — alone and in combination with biochar — on soil fungal community structure, diversity, and functional prediction in agricultural soil. Microplastics increased overall fungal abundance but reduced diversity indices, with dominant taxa including Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mortierella, Aspergillus, and Fusarium, and coexistence with biochar amplifying these effects beyond microplastics alone.

2023 Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy 5 citations