Effects of Microplastics in Soil Ecosystems: Above and Below Ground.
@article{Boots2019EffectsOM, title={Effects of Microplastics in Soil Ecosystems: Above and Below Ground.}, author={Bas Boots and Connor William Russell and Dannielle Senga Green}, journal={Environmental science \& technology}, year={2019} }
Environmental contamination by microplastics is now considered an emerging threat to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Soil ecosystems, particularly agricultural land, have been recognized as a major sink of microplastics, but the impacts of microplastics on soil ecosystems (e.g., above and below ground) remain largely unknown. In this study, different types of microplastics [biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA)], conventional high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and microplastic clothing…
Figures and Tables from this paper
341 Citations
Ecological effects of microplastics contamination in soils
- Environmental Science
- 2021
Large amounts of microplastics have been accumulated in soils and their degradation is relatively slow. The residual time of microplastics in soils could be extended to decades or even over a hundred…
Microplastics in soil ecosystems: soil fauna responses to field applications of conventional and biodegradable microplastics.
- Environmental ScienceJournal of hazardous materials
- 2022
Microplastics as an Emerging Environmental Pollutant in Agricultural Soils: Effects on Ecosystems and Human Health
- Frontiers in Environmental Science
- 2022
Microplastics are <5 mm in size, made up of diverse chemical components, and come from multiple sources. Due to extensive use and unreasonable disposal of plastics, microplastics have become a global…
Concentration-Dependent Impacts of Microplastics on Soil Nematode Community in Bulk Soils of Maize: Evidence From a Pot Experiment
- Frontiers in Environmental Science
- 2022
Agricultural land soils have become a source and sink for microplastics. Due to the low recycling rate, long durability, and small size, microplastics pose a potential risk to soil fauna, which are…
Microplastics negatively affect soil fauna but stimulate microbial activity: insights from a field-based microplastic addition experiment
- Environmental ScienceProceedings of the Royal Society B
- 2020
Structural equation modelling revealed that the effects of microplastics strongly cascade through the soil food webs, leading to the modification of microbial functioning with further potential consequences on soil carbon and nutrient cycling.
Unravelling the emerging threats of microplastics to agroecosystems
- Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology
- 2022
In the past few decades, pollution from microplastics has emerged as an important issue on a global scale. These plastic particles are mainly the result of anthropogenic activities. Urban sprawl,…
Nanoplastics in the soil environment: Analytical methods, occurrence, fate and ecological implications.
- MedicineEnvironmental pollution
- 2023
The rise of artificial soil carbon inputs: Reviewing microplastic pollution effects in the soil environment.
- Environmental Science, MedicineThe Science of the total environment
- 2021
Microplastics in Agricultural Systems: Analytical Methodologies and Effects on Soil Quality and Crop Yield
- Agriculture
- 2022
Around one million metric ton of plastics is produced worldwide daily. Plastic contamination is aggravated when the particles reach sizes between 5 mm and 1 μm, giving rise to microplastics, which…
The impact of microplastic weathering on interactions with the soil environment: a review
- Environmental Science
- 2021
Abstract. Recent studies have reported the influence of microplastic on soil quality parameters. Mass concentrations of plastic particles as found in highly contaminated soils were shown to weaken…
References
SHOWING 1-10 OF 93 REFERENCES
Microplastic transport in soil by earthworms
- Environmental ScienceScientific Reports
- 2017
It is shown that earthworms can be significant transport agents of microplastics in soils, incorporating this material into soil, likely via casts, burrows (affecting soil hydraulics), egestion and adherence to the earthworm exterior.
Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance.
- Medicine, Environmental ScienceEnvironmental science & technology
- 2019
The findings reported here imply that the pervasive microplastic contamination in soil may have consequences for plant performance and thus for agroecosystems and terrestrial biodiversity.
Microplastics Affect the Ecological Functioning of an Important Biogenic Habitat.
- Environmental ScienceEnvironmental science & technology
- 2017
The potential of microplastics to impact the functioning and structure of sedimentary habitats and the structure of invertebrate benthic assemblages show that such effects may depend on the dominant bivalve present.
Microplastics in soils: Analytical methods, pollution characteristics and ecological risks
- Environmental ScienceTrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry
- 2018
Effects of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on a marine ecosystem engineer (Arenicola marina) and sediment nutrient cycling.
- Environmental ScienceEnvironmental pollution
- 2016
Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems
- Environmental ScienceGlobal change biology
- 2018
The pervasive microplastic contamination as a potential agent of global change in terrestrial systems is introduced, the physical and chemical nature of the respective observed effects are highlighted, and the broad toxicity of nanoplastics derived from plastic breakdown is discussed.
Effects of microplastics on European flat oysters, Ostrea edulis and their associated benthic communities.
- Environmental ScienceEnvironmental pollution
- 2016
Response of soil dissolved organic matter to microplastic addition in Chinese loess soil.
- Chemistry, MedicineChemosphere
- 2017
Microplastics in the Terrestrial Ecosystem: Implications for Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae).
- Environmental ScienceEnvironmental science & technology
- 2016
This study studied the survival and fitness of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris exposed to microplastics in litter at concentrations of 7, 28, 45, and 60% dry weight, percentages that, after bioturbation, translate to 0.2 to 1.2% in bulk soil.
Incorporation of microplastics from litter into burrows of Lumbricus terrestris.
- Environmental ScienceEnvironmental pollution
- 2017