Microplastic effects on carbon cycling processes in soils

Rillig, Matthias C.; Leifheit, Eva F.; Lehmann, Johannes

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3001130

Cited by 290 publications

(133 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Changes in soil structures (bulk density, water stable aggregates, water‐holding capacity, pore volume) associated with the presence of microplastics can directly affect soil microbial communities, which are the main drivers of nitrogen cycling (Rong et al, 2021), carbon processing (Rillig et al, 2021) and other biogeochemical processes essential for human survival (Bender et al, 2016). Multiple studies have shown that microplastics can affect soil microbial activity and may have important implications for nutrient cycling (de Souza Machado et al, 2019; de Souza Machado, Lau, et al, 2018; Liu et al, 2017; Rong et al, 2021).…”

Section: Microplastic Effects On Soil Structure and Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is conflicting evidence about the role of microplastics in the terrestrial carbon cycle (Gao et al, 2021; Ren et al, 2020; Rillig et al, 2021). Carbon is the main element in microplastics and unlike more labile carbon sources that originate from natural processes (photosynthesis or biomass production), this recalcitrant carbon pool is better able to resist degradation, thus affecting soil carbon storage (Rillig & Lehmann, 2020).…”

Section: Microplastic Effects On Soil Structure and Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies reported oxidative stress (Jiang et al, 2019; Prendergast‐Miller et al, 2019; Zheng et al, 2019), reproductive impairment (Judy et al, 2019; Lahive et al, 2019; van Gestel & Selonen, 2018) and behavioral changes (Huerta Lwanga et al, 2016; Song et al, 2019) in terrestrial organisms (e.g., earthworms, snails and plants); similar responses were also observed in aquatic biota exposed to microplastics (de Sá et al, 2018; Lusher, 2015). Recent studies suggesting the effects of microplastics on soil carbon (Rillig et al, 2021) and possibly nitrogen (Rong et al, 2021) cycling are especially concerning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems: Moving beyond the state of the art to minimize the risk of ecological surprise

Baho

Bundschuh

Futter

2021

Global Change Biology

114

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Microplastic (plastic particles measuring <5mm) pollution is ubiquitous. Unlike in other well‐studied ecosystems, for example, marine and freshwater environments, microplastics in terrestrial systems are relatively understudied. Their potential impacts on terrestrial environments, in particular the risk of causing ecological surprise, must be better understood and quantified. Ecological surprise occurs when ecosystem behavior deviates radically from expectations and generally has negative consequences for ecosystem services. The properties and behavior of microplastics within terrestrial environments may increase their likelihood of causing ecological surprises as they (a) are highly persistent global pollutants that will last for centuries, (b) can interact with the abiotic environment in a complex manner, (c) can impact terrestrial organisms directly or indirectly and (d) interact with other contaminants and can facilitate their transport. Here, we compiled findings of previous research on microplastics in terrestrial environments. We systematically focused on studies addressing different facets of microplastics related to their distribution, dispersion, impact on soil characteristics and functions, levels of biological organization of tested terrestrial biota (single species vs. assemblages), scale of experimental study and corresponding ecotoxicological effects. Our systematic assessment of previous microplastic research revealed that most studies have been conducted on single species under laboratory conditions with short‐term exposures; few studies were conducted under more realistic long‐term field conditions and/or with multi‐species assemblages. Studies targeting multi‐species assemblages primarily considered soil bacterial communities and showed that microplastics can alter essential nutrient cycling functions. More ecologically meaningful studies of terrestrial microplastics encompassing multi‐species assemblages, critical ecological processes (e.g., biogeochemical cycles and pollination) and interactions with other anthropogenic stressors must be conducted. Addressing these knowledge gaps will provide a better understanding of microplastics as emerging global stressors and should lower the risk of ecological surprise in terrestrial ecosystems.

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Section: Microplastic Effects On Soil Structure and Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Microplastic Effects On Soil Structure and Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems: Moving beyond the state of the art to minimize the risk of ecological surprise

Baho

Bundschuh

Futter

2021

Global Change Biology

114

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“…However, pinpointing environmentally relevant contamination levels remains difficult at this time, as publicly available large-scale terrestrial monitoring data and standardized quantification campaigns are limited or lacking altogether. In addition, a focus should be on potentially future, higher levels of this contaminant, at least within a global change biology framework (Rillig et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics and phagotrophic soil protists: evidence of ingestion

Kanold

Rillig

Antunes

2021

Preprint

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Microplastics (MPs) can now be found in all the Earth’s biomes, thereby representing a global change phenomenon with largely unknown consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Soil protists are eukaryotic, primarily single celled organisms that play important roles in the soil food web. Microplastics have been shown to affect protist populations in freshwater and marine environments, yet the interactions between soil protists and MPs remains largely unknown. Here we examined whether phagotrophic soil protists can ingest MPs and experience declines in abundance. We exposed protists to soil treatments with different concentrations of MPs using commercial polymer fluorescent microspheres and used fluorescence microscopy to find evidence of MP ingestion. In addition, we quantified the total number of active phagotrophic protists over time. We show that most soil protists (>75% individuals) can readily ingest and keep MP within their food vacuoles, even at relatively small MP concentrations (0.1% w/w). There was a trend for higher prevalence of ingestion and for declines in protist abundance at the highest concentration of MPs (1% w/w). However, more data are necessary to further ascertain cause-effect relationships. This is the first report indicating that soil protists can play an important role in the transport and uptake of MPs in the soil food web.

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“…But the ubiquitous particles appear to be interfering with the very fabric of the soil environment itself, by influencing soil bulk density and the stability of the building blocks of soil structure, argue Matthias Rillig and colleagues in their Essay. Microplastics can affect the carbon cycle in numerous ways, for example, by being carbon themselves and by influencing soil microbial processes, plant growth, or litter decomposition, the authors argue in "Microplastic effects on carbon cycling processes in soils" [7]. They call for "a major concerted effort" to understand the pervasive effects of microplastics on the function of soils and terrestrial ecosystems, a monumental feat given the immense diversity of the particles' chemistry, aging, size, and shape.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%