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Microplastic Shape, Polymer Type, and Concentration Affect Soil Properties and Plant Biomass

Microplastics may enter the soil in a wide range of shapes and polymers. However, little is known about the effects that microplastics of different shapes, polymers, and concentration may have on soil properties and plant performance. To address this, we selected 12 microplastics representing differ...

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Autores principales: Lozano, Yudi M., Lehnert, Timon, Linck, Lydia T., Lehmann, Anika, Rillig, Matthias C.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7920964/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33664758
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.616645
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author Lozano, Yudi M.
Lehnert, Timon
Linck, Lydia T.
Lehmann, Anika
Rillig, Matthias C.
author_facet Lozano, Yudi M.
Lehnert, Timon
Linck, Lydia T.
Lehmann, Anika
Rillig, Matthias C.
author_sort Lozano, Yudi M.
collection PubMed
description Microplastics may enter the soil in a wide range of shapes and polymers. However, little is known about the effects that microplastics of different shapes, polymers, and concentration may have on soil properties and plant performance. To address this, we selected 12 microplastics representing different shapes (fibers, films, foams, and fragments) and polymers, and mixed them each with soil at a concentration of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4%. A phytometer (Daucus carota) grew in each pot during 4 weeks. Shoot, root mass, soil aggregation, and microbial activity were measured. All shapes increased plant biomass. Shoot mass increased by ∼27% with fibers, ∼60% with films, ∼45% with foams, and by ∼54% with fragments, as fibers hold water in the soil for longer, films decrease soil bulk density, and foams and fragments can increase soil aeration and macroporosity, which overall promote plant performance. By contrast, all shapes decreased soil aggregation by ∼25% as microplastics may introduce fracture points into aggregates and due to potential negative effects on soil biota. The latter may also explain the decrease in microbial activity with, for example, polyethylene films. Our findings show that shape, polymer type, and concentration are key properties when studying microplastic effects on terrestrial systems.
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spelling pubmed-79209642021-03-03 Microplastic Shape, Polymer Type, and Concentration Affect Soil Properties and Plant Biomass Lozano, Yudi M. Lehnert, Timon Linck, Lydia T. Lehmann, Anika Rillig, Matthias C. Front Plant Sci Plant Science Microplastics may enter the soil in a wide range of shapes and polymers. However, little is known about the effects that microplastics of different shapes, polymers, and concentration may have on soil properties and plant performance. To address this, we selected 12 microplastics representing different shapes (fibers, films, foams, and fragments) and polymers, and mixed them each with soil at a concentration of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4%. A phytometer (Daucus carota) grew in each pot during 4 weeks. Shoot, root mass, soil aggregation, and microbial activity were measured. All shapes increased plant biomass. Shoot mass increased by ∼27% with fibers, ∼60% with films, ∼45% with foams, and by ∼54% with fragments, as fibers hold water in the soil for longer, films decrease soil bulk density, and foams and fragments can increase soil aeration and macroporosity, which overall promote plant performance. By contrast, all shapes decreased soil aggregation by ∼25% as microplastics may introduce fracture points into aggregates and due to potential negative effects on soil biota. The latter may also explain the decrease in microbial activity with, for example, polyethylene films. Our findings show that shape, polymer type, and concentration are key properties when studying microplastic effects on terrestrial systems. Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-02-16 /pmc/articles/PMC7920964/ /pubmed/33664758 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.616645 Text en Copyright © 2021 Lozano, Lehnert, Linck, Lehmann and Rillig. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Plant Science
Lozano, Yudi M.
Lehnert, Timon
Linck, Lydia T.
Lehmann, Anika
Rillig, Matthias C.
Microplastic Shape, Polymer Type, and Concentration Affect Soil Properties and Plant Biomass
title Microplastic Shape, Polymer Type, and Concentration Affect Soil Properties and Plant Biomass
title_full Microplastic Shape, Polymer Type, and Concentration Affect Soil Properties and Plant Biomass
title_fullStr Microplastic Shape, Polymer Type, and Concentration Affect Soil Properties and Plant Biomass
title_full_unstemmed Microplastic Shape, Polymer Type, and Concentration Affect Soil Properties and Plant Biomass
title_short Microplastic Shape, Polymer Type, and Concentration Affect Soil Properties and Plant Biomass
title_sort microplastic shape, polymer type, and concentration affect soil properties and plant biomass
topic Plant Science
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7920964/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33664758
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.616645
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