Meta-analysis shows that microplastics affect ecosystem services in terrestrial environments

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To date, the understanding of the risks and impacts of microplastics (MPs) on terrestrial ecosystems remains limited, primarily due to most studies focusing on single ecosystem service. This study addressed this gap by conducting an integrative meta-analysis of 128 studies to explore the multifaceted impacts of MPs on various ecosystem services, including plant productivity, soil carbon (C) sequestration, microbial biodiversity, soil fertility, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity. We found that MPs reduced plant productivity service by 14.5%, microbial biodiversity service by 3.4%, and soil fertility service by 8.2%, while soil C sequestration service increased by 12.2%. No significant effects were observed on microbial biomass and enzyme activity services. Additionally, MPs of different types and shapes influenced the ecosystem services differently, with fiber, fragment, and round-shaped MPs decreasing the plant productivity service by 22.0%, 14.6%, and 12.7%, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed intricate relationships between MPs properties and the ecosystem services. Our findings also revealed complex interdependencies among the ecosystem services induced by MPs application. We observed that the plant productivity service was negatively correlated with the soil C sequestration service, but positively correlated with microbial biodiversity, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity services. Together, our study emphasized the need for targeted research to develop mitigation strategies addressing the multifaceted effects of MPs to terrestrial ecosystems.

The study was part of the project Microplastic occurrence, transport and effect in soil ecosystems, Microplastic-SOIL, funded by the Danish Research Council for Technology and Production Sciences DFF, 1032-00390B.

Peer reviewed