Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Biology, Berlin, Germany.
Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany.
PLoS Biol. 2021 Mar 30;19(3):e3001130. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001130. eCollection 2021 Mar.
Microplastics (MPs), plastic particles <5 mm, are found in environments, including terrestrial ecosystems, planetwide. Most research so far has focused on ecotoxicology, examining effects on performance of soil biota in controlled settings. As research pivots to a more ecosystem and global change perspective, questions about soil-borne biogeochemical cycles become important. MPs can affect the carbon cycle in numerous ways, for example, by being carbon themselves and by influencing soil microbial processes, plant growth, or litter decomposition. Great uncertainty surrounds nano-sized plastic particles, an expected by-product of further fragmentation of MPs. A major concerted effort is required to understand the pervasive effects of MPs on the functioning of soils and terrestrial ecosystems; importantly, such research needs to capture the immense diversity of these particles in terms of chemistry, aging, size, and shape.
微塑料（MPs）是指粒径小于 5 毫米的塑料颗粒，广泛存在于环境中，包括陆地生态系统。迄今为止，大多数研究都集中在生态毒理学领域，在受控环境下研究 MPs 对土壤生物群系性能的影响。随着研究转向更关注生态系统和全球变化的角度，关于土壤传播的生物地球化学循环的问题变得很重要。MPs 可以通过自身作为碳源，以及影响土壤微生物过程、植物生长或凋落物分解等多种方式影响碳循环。纳米级塑料颗粒是 MPs 进一步碎片化的预期产物，其不确定性很大。需要开展重大的协同努力来理解 MPs 对土壤和陆地生态系统功能的普遍影响；重要的是，此类研究需要从化学、老化、大小和形状等方面捕捉这些颗粒的巨大多样性。
