Abstract

Microplastics can affect biophysical properties of the soil. However, little is known about the cascade of events in fundamental levels of terrestrial ecosystems, i.e., starting with the changes in soil abiotic properties and propagating across the various components of soil-plant interactions, including soil microbial communities and plant traits. We investigated here the effects of six different microplastics (polyester fibers, polyamide beads, and four fragment types: polyethylene, polyester terephthalate, polypropylene, and polystyrene) on a broad suite of proxies for soil health and performance of spring onion ( Allium fistulosum). Significant changes were observed in plant biomass, tissue elemental composition, root traits, and soil microbial activities. These plant and soil responses to microplastic exposure were used to propose a causal model for the mechanism of the effects. Impacts were dependent on particle type, i.e., microplastics with a shape similar to other natural soil particles elicited smaller differences from control. Changes in soil structure and water dynamics may explain the observed results in which polyester fibers and polyamide beads triggered the most pronounced impacts on plant traits and function. 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.

Keywords

MicroplasticsEnvironmental scienceBiomass (ecology)Environmental chemistryEcologyBiologyChemistry

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Publication Info

Year
2019
Type
article
Volume
53
Issue
10
Pages
6044-6052
Citations
1803
Access
Closed

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Cite This

Anderson Abel de Souza Machado, Chung Wai Lau, Werner Kloas et al. (2019). Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance. Environmental Science & Technology , 53 (10) , 6044-6052. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01339

Identifiers

DOI
10.1021/acs.est.9b01339