Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in the Tropics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Department of Ecology, College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in the Tropics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Department of Ecology, College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Centre of Modern Eco-agriculture and Circular Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
Environ Int. 2024 Jan;183:108360. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108360. Epub 2023 Nov 30.
Although pervasive microplastics (MPs) pollution in terrestrial ecosystems invites increasing global concern, impact of MPs on soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem multifunctionality received relatively little attention. Here, we manipulated a mesocosm experiment to investigate how polyethylene MPs (PE MPs; 0, 1%, and 5%, w/w) influence ecosystem functions including plant production, soil quality, microbial community diversity and assembly, enzyme activities in carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling, and multifunctionality in the maize-soil continuum. Results showed that PE MPs exerted negligible effect on plant biomass (dry weight). The treatment of 5% PE MPs caused declines in the availability of soil water, C and P, whereas enhanced soil pH and C storage. The activity of C-cycling enzymes (α/β-1, 4-glucosidase and β-D-cellobiohydrolase) was promoted by 1% PE MPs, while that of β-1, 4-glucosidase was inhibited by 5% PE MPs. The 5% PE MPs reduced the activity of N-cycling enzymes (protease and urease), whereas increased that of the P-cycling enzyme (alkaline phosphatase). The 5% PE MPs shifted soil microbial community composition, and increased the number of specialist species, microbial community stability and networks resistance. Moreover, PE MPs altered microbial community assembly, with 5% treatment decreasing dispersal limitation proportion (from 13.66% to 9.96%). Overall, ecosystem multifunctionality was improved by 1% concentration, while reduced by 5% concentration of PE MPs. The activity of α/β-1, 4-glucosidase, urease and protease, and ammonium-N content were the most important predictors of ecosystem multifunctionality. These results underscore that PE MPs can alter soil microbial community assembly and ecosystem multifunctionality, and thus development and implementation of practicable solutions to control soil MPs pollution become increasingly imperative in sustainable agricultural production.
尽管普遍存在的微塑料 (MPs) 污染对陆地生态系统造成的影响引起了全球越来越多的关注,但 MPs 对土壤微生物群落组装和生态系统多功能性的影响却受到了较少的关注。在这里,我们通过一个中观实验来研究聚乙烯 MPs(PE MPs;0、1%和 5%,w/w)如何影响生态系统功能,包括植物生产力、土壤质量、微生物群落多样性和组装、碳(C)、氮(N)和磷(P)循环中的酶活性以及玉米-土壤连续体的多功能性。结果表明,PE MPs 对植物生物量(干重)几乎没有影响。5%PE MPs 的处理导致土壤水分、C 和 P 的有效性降低,而土壤 pH 和 C 储存增加。C 循环酶(α/β-1,4-葡萄糖苷酶和β-D-纤维二糖水解酶)的活性被 1%PE MPs 促进,而 5%PE MPs 则抑制β-1,4-葡萄糖苷酶的活性。5%PE MPs 降低了 N 循环酶(蛋白酶和脲酶)的活性,而增加了 P 循环酶(碱性磷酸酶)的活性。5%PE MPs 改变了土壤微生物群落组成,增加了专性物种的数量、微生物群落稳定性和网络抗性。此外,PE MPs 改变了微生物群落的组装,5%处理降低了扩散限制比例(从 13.66%降至 9.96%)。总的来说,1%浓度的 PE MPs 提高了生态系统多功能性,而 5%浓度的 PE MPs 则降低了生态系统多功能性。α/β-1,4-葡萄糖苷酶、脲酶和蛋白酶的活性以及铵态氮含量是生态系统多功能性的最重要预测因子。这些结果表明,PE MPs 可以改变土壤微生物群落组装和生态系统多功能性,因此,为了在可持续农业生产中控制土壤 MPs 污染,开发和实施切实可行的解决方案变得越来越必要。