Journal
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Volume 409, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124606
Keywords
Soil respiration; Soil physical properties; Low-density polyethylene; Polyethylene terephthalate; Polyester fibres; Soil bacteria composition
Categories
Funding
- Australia-China Joint Research Centre - Healthy Soils for Sustainable Food Production and Environmental Quality [ACSRF48165]
- BASF
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The study investigated the impact of aged low-density polyethylene and polyester fibers on forest microbiome, finding changes in bacteria community composition and soil respiration at certain concentrations. It highlights the potential implications of microplastic pollution on forest soil microbiome and climate change.
The impact of microplastic pollution on terrestrial biota is an emerging research area, and this is particularly so for soil biota. In this study, we addressed this knowledge gap by examining the impact of aged low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyester fibres (i.e. polyethylene terephthalate, PET) on a forest microbiome composition and activity. We also measured the corresponding physicochemical changes in the soil. We observed that bacteria community composition diverged in PET and LDPE treated soils from that of the control by day 42. These changes occurred at 0.2% and 0.4% (w/w) of PET and at 3% LDPE. Additionally, soil respiration was 8 fold higher in soil that received 3% LDPE compared to other treatments and control. There were no clear patterns linking these biological changes to physicochemical changes measured. Taken together, we concluded that microplastics aging in the environment may have evolutionary consequences for forest soil microbiome and there is immediate implication for climate change if the observed increase in soil respiration is reproducible in multiple ecosystems.
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