Microplastics in agroecosystems: A review of effects on soil biota and key soil functions

Shafea, Leila; Yap, Julia; Bériot, Nicolas; Felde, Vincent J.M.N.L.; Okoffo, Elvis D.; Enyoh, Christian Ebere; Peth, Stephan

doi:10.1002/jpln.202200136

Cited by 36 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 178 publications

(282 reference statements)

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“…Smaller plastics have more adverse toxicological effects on larger organisms ( Wan et al, 2023 ), since microplastics may enter plant tissues through root pores or enter animal bodies through ingestion, tend to be more harmful to plants and soil animals than larger-sized plastics ( Li et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2022b , d ). Yet microbial responses to plastics are reflected at the level of the entire community ( Shafea et al, 2023 ), hence, this rule may not always be accurate when extrapolating to the effect of entire plastics to microbial communities ( Mammo et al, 2020 ; Wiedner and Polifka, 2020 ; Zhang S. L. et al, 2021 ). Taking into account all plastic residues, it appears that the effects of plastics on microbial parameters have a size threshold.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil microbial community parameters affected by microplastics and other plastic residues

Li,

Hou,

Hou

et al. 2023

Front. Microbiol.

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IntroductionThe impact of plastics on terrestrial ecosystems is receiving increasing attention. Although of great importance to soil biogeochemical processes, how plastics influence soil microbes have yet to be systematically studied. The primary objectives of this study are to evaluate whether plastics lead to divergent responses of soil microbial community parameters, and explore the potential driving factors.MethodsWe performed a meta-analysis of 710 paired observations from 48 published articles to quantify the impact of plastic on the diversity, biomass, and functionality of soil microbial communities.Results and discussionThis study indicated that plastics accelerated soil organic carbon loss (effect size = −0.05, p = 0.004) and increased microbial functionality (effect size = 0.04, p = 0.003), but also reduced microbial biomass (effect size = −0.07, p < 0.001) and the stability of co-occurrence networks. Polyethylene significantly reduced microbial richness (effect size = −0.07, p < 0.001) while polypropylene significantly increased it (effect size = 0.17, p < 0.001). Degradable plastics always had an insignificant effect on the microbial community. The effect of the plastic amount on microbial functionality followed the “hormetic dose–response” model, the infection point was about 40 g/kg. Approximately 3564.78 μm was the size of the plastic at which the response of microbial functionality changed from positive to negative. Changes in soil pH, soil organic carbon, and total nitrogen were significantly positively correlated with soil microbial functionality, biomass, and richness (R2 = 0.04–0.73, p < 0.05). The changes in microbial diversity were decoupled from microbial community structure and functionality. We emphasize the negative impacts of plastics on soil microbial communities such as microbial abundance, essential to reducing the risk of ecological surprise in terrestrial ecosystems. Our comprehensive assessment of plastics on soil microbial community parameters deepens the understanding of environmental impacts and ecological risks from this emerging pollution.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil microbial community parameters affected by microplastics and other plastic residues

Li,

Hou,

Hou

et al. 2023

Front. Microbiol.

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“…Micro (nano) plastics also affect the delivery of ecosystem services to human populations and decrease agricultural productivity and fisheries yield, and affect the carbon sequestration capacity of ecosystems. 40 Micro (nano) plastics influence the carbon burial rates in marine sediments and ultimately affect the carbon sequestration capacity of ecosystems and alter the global carbon cycle. The intentional and unintentional input of these invisible plastic compounds into the environment may have a latent impact on global carbon stocks.…”

Section: Role Of Mnps On Ecosystem Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Micro(nano)plastics: invisible compounds with a visible impact

Sharma,

Sharma

2024

F1000Res

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The plastic related research has been an epicentre in recent times. The presence and spread of micro (nano) plastics (MNPs) are well-known in the terrestrial and aquatic environment. However, the focus on the fate and remediation of MNP in soil and groundwater is limited. The fate and bioaccumulation of ingested MNPs remain unknown within the digestive tract of animals. There is also a significant knowledge gap in understanding the ubiquitous organic environmental pollutants with MNPs in biological systems. Reducing plastic consumption, improving waste management practices, and developing environmentally friendly alternatives are some of the key steps needed to address MNP pollution. For better handling and to protect the environment from these invisible substances, policymakers and researchers urgently need to monitor and map MNP contamination in soil and groundwater.

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“…Soil physical properties mainly depend on the soil structure, formed by the pore space and the aggregation of soil particles due to emerging and binding elementary soil particles following a bottom-up process (Yudina and Kuzyakov 2023). MaP and MiP are likely to disrupt the soil pore interface during aggregation, influencing soil structure (Wang et al 2020, Shafea et al 2023b. For instance, MiPs and their various shapes modulate soil aggregates formation and organic matter decomposition, specifically fiber-shaped ones (Lehmann et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macro- and micro-plastics change soil physical properties: a systematic review

Maqbool,

Soriano,

Gómez

2023

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Plastic pollution in terrestrial environments is a global issue due to its adverse effects on soil health, with negative impacts on ecosystem services and food production. However, the enormous heterogeneity of both plastic and soil characteristics complicate the assessment of the impact and overall trends in plastic-induced changes in soil properties beyond experimental conditions. In this work, we have carried out a systematic and in-depth review of the existing literature on the impact of plastics on soil physical properties. To this end, we have quantified the effects of macro- (MaP, >5000 μm) and micro-plastics (MiP, <5000 μm) on soil bulk density, soil porosity, water-stable aggregates (WSAs), saturated hydraulic conductivity, and soil moisture at field capacity (FC), based on four characteristics of plastics: polymer types, shapes and sizes of plastic particles, and plastic concentrations in soil. Results showed that MaPs and MiPs significantly modified the values of the analyzed soil physical properties compared to the control without plastic in over 50% of the experimental dataset, albeit with a large variability, from a reduction to an increase in values, depending on the specific experimental conditions and the soil physical property. Depending on the plastic concentration, soil bulk density and porosity decreased moderately (4%–6%) with MiP and MaP. MiP reduced WSA by an average of 20%, ranging from a 40% decrease to a 20% increase depending on the shapes and concentration of MiP. Saturated hydraulic conductivity changed depending on the polymer types, shapes, and concentrations of MaP and MiP, varying from a 70% decrease to a 40% increase. Soil water content at FC varied depending on the soil texture, and concentration and sizes distribution of conventional MiP, decreasing from 10% to 65%. However, biodegradable plastic increased soil water content at FC. The few studies available provide evidence that not enough attention is being paid to soil physical properties influenced by plastic input. It is recommended to consider the wide range of characteristics of MaP and MiP and their effects on soil physical properties in future studies, for an advance understanding of the impact of MiP and MaP on soil health in the medium-long term under different environmental conditions.

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Microplastics in agroecosystems: A review of effects on soil biota and key soil functions

Cited by 36 publications

References 178 publications

Soil microbial community parameters affected by microplastics and other plastic residues

Soil microbial community parameters affected by microplastics and other plastic residues

Micro(nano)plastics: invisible compounds with a visible impact

Macro- and micro-plastics change soil physical properties: a systematic review

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