Microplastic Incorporation into Soil in Agroecosystems

Rillig, Matthias C.; Ingraffia, Rosolino; Machado, Anderson Abel de Souza

doi:10.3389/fpls.2017.01805

Cited by 421 publications

(177 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Indeed, microplastic fibers have been reported in agricultural fields up to 15 years after sludge was amended, still maintaining their original properties (Zubris & Richards, ). Microplastic arriving in agricultural systems might enter the soil by diverse physical, biological, and anthropogenic mechanisms (Rillig, Ingraffia, & De Souza Machado, ). Between 1270 and 2130 tons of microplastics per million habitants were estimated to be annually produced in European cities, which correspond to a yearly addition via sludge of 63000‐43000 tons of microplastics to European farmlands per year (Nizzetto, Futter, et al., ).…”

Section: Microplastic Fate In Continental Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems

Machado

Kloas

Zarfl

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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1,406

537

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Microplastics (plastics <5 mm, including nanoplastics which are <0.1 μm) originate from the fragmentation of large plastic litter or from direct environmental emission. Their potential impacts in terrestrial ecosystems remain largely unexplored despite numerous reported effects on marine organisms. Most plastics arriving in the oceans were produced, used, and often disposed on land. Hence, it is within terrestrial systems that microplastics might first interact with biota eliciting ecologically relevant impacts. This article introduces the pervasive microplastic contamination as a potential agent of global change in terrestrial systems, highlights the physical and chemical nature of the respective observed effects, and discusses the broad toxicity of nanoplastics derived from plastic breakdown. Making relevant links to the fate of microplastics in aquatic continental systems, we here present new insights into the mechanisms of impacts on terrestrial geochemistry, the biophysical environment, and ecotoxicology. Broad changes in continental environments are possible even in particle-rich habitats such as soils. Furthermore, there is a growing body of evidence indicating that microplastics interact with terrestrial organisms that mediate essential ecosystem services and functions, such as soil dwelling invertebrates, terrestrial fungi, and plant-pollinators. Therefore, research is needed to clarify the terrestrial fate and effects of microplastics. We suggest that due to the widespread presence, environmental persistence, and various interactions with continental biota, microplastic pollution might represent an emerging global change threat to terrestrial ecosystems.

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Section: Microplastic Fate In Continental Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems

Machado

Kloas

Zarfl

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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1,406

537

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“…In addition, there will also be the challenge posed by understanding the effects of novel environmental pollutants, e.g. microplastics (Rillig et al ., ), or multiple, interacting synthetic organic pollutants (Bernhardt et al ., ). A knowledge‐based, large‐scale precision management of AM fungal communities in agroecosystems would also create novel assemblages and possibly combinations of functions (Rillig et al ., ).…”

Section: Past Novel and Future Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and ecosystem function

2018

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Contents Summary1059I.Introduction: pathways of influence and pervasiveness of effects1060II.AM fungal richness effects on ecosystem functions1062III.Other dimensions of biodiversity1062IV.Back to basics – primary axes of niche differentiation by AM fungi1066V.Functional diversity of AM fungi – a role for biological stoichiometry?1067VI.Past, novel and future ecosystems1068VII.Opportunities and the way forward1071Acknowledgements1072References1072 Summary Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play important functional roles in ecosystems, including the uptake and transfer of nutrients, modification of the physical soil environment and alteration of plant interactions with other biota. Several studies have demonstrated the potential for variation in AM fungal diversity to also affect ecosystem functioning, mainly via effects on primary productivity. Diversity in these studies is usually characterized in terms of the number of species, unique evolutionary lineages or complementary mycorrhizal traits, as well as the ability of plants to discriminate among AM fungi in space and time. However, the emergent outcomes of these relationships are usually indirect, and thus context dependent, and difficult to predict with certainty. Here, we advocate a fungal‐centric view of AM fungal biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships that focuses on the direct and specific links between AM fungal fitness and consequences for their roles in ecosystems, especially highlighting functional diversity in hyphal resource economics. We conclude by arguing that an understanding of AM fungal functional diversity is fundamental to determine whether AM fungi have a role in the exploitation of marginal/novel environments (whether past, present or future) and highlight avenues for future research.

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“…Over time, macro-and microplastics have accumulated in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Plastic debris has been reported in agricultural fields (Rillig et al 2017), soil (Hurley and Nizzetto 2018), roadways (Kole et al Manuscript received 17 May 2019;revised 24 September 2019;accepted 18 October 2019;final version received 22 October 2019. Corresponding Editor: David Schimel. 2017), storm water runoff from urban centers (Mason et al 2016), freshwater lakes and streams (Dris et al 2015), freshwater and marine shorelines (Browne et al 2011), the open ocean (C ozar et al 2014), coral reefs (Lamb et al 2018), deep sea sediments (Woodall et al 2014), submarine canyons (e.g., Pham et al 2014), and Arctic sea ice (Obbard et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is known and unknown about the effects of plastic pollution: A meta‐analysis and systematic review

Bucci

Túlio

Rochman

2020

Ecological Applications

383

263

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As a consequence of the global ubiquity of plastic pollution, scientists, decision‐makers, and the public often ask whether macroplastics (>5 mm) and microplastics (<5 mm) have a realized ecological threat. In 2016, we conducted a systematic review of the literature and made a call for further research testing hypotheses about ecological effects. In the subsequent years, the amount of relevant research has risen tremendously. Here, we reassess the literature to determine the current weight of evidence about the effects of plastic pollution across all levels of biological organization. Our data spans marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments. We extracted data from 139 lab and field studies testing 577 independent effects across a variety of taxa and with various types, sizes, and shapes of plastic. Overall, 59% of the tested effects were detected. Of these, 58% were due to microplastics and 42% were due to macroplastics. Of the effects that were not detected, 94% were from microplastics and 6% were from macroplastics. We found evidence that whether or not an effect is detected, as well as the severity and direction of the effect, is driven by dose, particle shape, polymer type, and particle size. Based on our analyses, there is no doubt that macroplastics are causing ecological effects, however, the effects of microplastics are much more complex. We also assessed the environmental relevancy of experimental studies by comparing the doses used in each exposure to the concentrations and sizes of microplastics found in the environment. We determined that only 17% of the concentrations used in experimental studies have been found in nature, and that 80% of particle sizes used in experiments fall below the size range of the majority of environmental sampling. Based on our systematic review and meta‐analysis, we make a call for future work that recognizes the complexity of microplastics and designs tests to better understand how different types, sizes, shapes, doses, and exposure durations affect wildlife. We also call for more ecologically and environmentally relevant studies, particularly in freshwater and terrestrial environments.

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Microplastic Incorporation into Soil in Agroecosystems

Cited by 421 publications

References 26 publications

Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems

Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems

Biodiversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and ecosystem function

What is known and unknown about the effects of plastic pollution: A meta‐analysis and systematic review

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