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Effects of microplastics on soil microorganisms and microbial functions in nutrients and carbon cycling - A review

Aralappanavar VK 1 , Mukhopadhyay R 2 , Yu Y 3 , Liu J 4 , Bhatnagar A 5 , Praveena SM 6 Show all authors , Li Y 4 , Paller M 7 , Adyel TM 8 , Rinklebe J 9 , Bolan NS 10 , Sarkar B 11

Affiliations 

  • 1 Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
  • 2 Department of Chemistry, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh 15213, United States
  • 3 Research Center for Environmental Ecology and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
  • 4 Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
  • 5 Department of Separation Science, LUT School of Engineering Science, LUT University, Sammonkatu 12, FI-50130 Mikkeli, Finland
  • 6 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  • 7 Aquatic Biology Consultants, Inc., 35 Bungalow Ct., Aiken, SC 29803, USA
  • 8 STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
  • 9 University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water- and Waste-Management, Laboratory of Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany
  • 10 UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6001, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6001, Australia
  • 11 Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia. Electronic address: binoy.sarkar@unisa.edu.au
Sci Total Environ, 2024 May 10;924:171435.
PMID: 38438042 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171435

Abstract

The harmful effects of microplastics (MPs) pollution in the soil ecosystem have drawn global attention in recent years. This paper critically reviews the effects of MPs on soil microbial diversity and functions in relation to nutrients and carbon cycling. Reports suggested that both plastisphere (MP-microbe consortium) and MP-contaminated soils had distinct and lower microbial diversity than that of non-contaminated soils. Alteration in soil physicochemical properties and microbial interactions within the plastisphere facilitated the enrichment of plastic-degrading microorganisms, including those involved in carbon (C) and nutrient cycling. MPs conferred a significant increase in the relative abundance of soil nitrogen (N)-fixing and phosphorus (P)-solubilizing bacteria, while decreased the abundance of soil nitrifiers and ammonia oxidisers. Depending on soil types, MPs increased bioavailable N and P contents and nitrous oxide emission in some instances. Furthermore, MPs regulated soil microbial functional activities owing to the combined toxicity of organic and inorganic contaminants derived from MPs and contaminants frequently encountered in the soil environment. However, a thorough understanding of the interactions among soil microorganisms, MPs and other contaminants still needs to develop. Since currently available reports are mostly based on short-term laboratory experiments, field investigations are needed to assess the long-term impact of MPs (at environmentally relevant concentration) on soil microorganisms and their functions under different soil types and agro-climatic conditions.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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