Chemical Ecology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, Bielefeld 33615, Germany.
Biomolecular Photonics, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, Bielefeld 33615, Germany.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2024 Mar 1;272:116086. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116086. Epub 2024 Feb 13.
Anthropogenic influences such as plastic pollution are causing serious environmental problems. While effects of microplastics on marine organisms are well studied, less is known about effects of plastic particles on terrestrial organisms such as plants. We investigated the effects of microplastic particles on different growth and metabolic traits of savoy cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. sabauda). Sections of seedlings exposed to polystyrene particles were analysed by coherent Raman scattering microscopy. These analyses revealed an uptake of particles in a size range of 0.5 µm to 2.0 µm into cells of the hypocotyl. Furthermore, plants were grown in substrate amended with polyethylene and polystyrene particles of different sizes (s: 200-500 µm; s: 100-200 µm; s: 20-100 µm; s: < 100 µm, with most particles < 20 µm; s: < 20 µm) and in different concentrations (c = 0.1%, c = 0.01%, c = 0.001%). After several weeks, shoot and root biomass were harvested. Leaves were analysed for their carbon to nitrogen ratio, while amino acid and glucosinolate composition were measured using high performance liquid chromatography. Plastic type, particle size and concentration showed distinct effects on certain plant traits. Shoot biomass was interactively influenced by size and concentration of polyethylene, while root biomass was not modified by any of the plastic exposure treatments. Likewise, the composition and total concentrations of leaf amino acids were not affected, but the leucine concentration was significantly increased in several of the plastic-exposed plants. Glucosinolates were also slightly altered, depending on the particle size. Some of the observed effects may be independent of plastic uptake, as larger particles were not taken up but still could affect plant traits. For example, in the rhizosphere plastic particles may increase the water holding capacity of the soil, impacting some of the plant traits. In summary, this study shows how important the plastic type, particle size and concentration are for the uptake of microplastics and their effects on plant traits, which may have important implications for crops, but also for ecosystems.
人为因素如塑料污染正在造成严重的环境问题。尽管微塑料对海洋生物的影响已经得到了充分的研究，但对于塑料颗粒对陆地生物如植物的影响知之甚少。我们研究了微塑料颗粒对不同生长和代谢特征的皱叶甘蓝（ Brassica oleracea var. sabauda ）的影响。通过相干拉曼散射显微镜分析了暴露于聚苯乙烯颗粒的幼苗切片。这些分析表明，0.5 µm 至 2.0 µm 大小的颗粒被细胞吸收进入下胚轴。此外，在不同大小（ s ：200-500 µm ； s ：100-200 µm ； s ：20-100 µm ； s ：<100 µm ，大多数颗粒<20 µm ； s ：<20 µm ）和不同浓度（ c ：0.1% ， c ：0.01% ， c ：0.001% ）的基质中添加聚乙烯和聚苯乙烯颗粒的条件下种植植物。数周后，收获茎和根的生物量。分析叶片的碳氮比，同时使用高效液相色谱法测量氨基酸和硫代葡萄糖苷的组成。塑料类型、颗粒大小和浓度对某些植物特性有明显的影响。茎生物量受聚乙烯大小和浓度的交互影响，而根生物量不受任何塑料暴露处理的影响。同样，叶片氨基酸的组成和总浓度没有受到影响，但暴露于塑料的几种植物的亮氨酸浓度显著增加。硫代葡萄糖苷也略有变化，这取决于颗粒大小。一些观察到的影响可能与塑料吸收无关，因为较大的颗粒未被吸收，但仍可能影响植物特性。例如，在根际中，塑料颗粒可能会增加土壤的持水能力，从而影响一些植物特性。总之，本研究表明塑料类型、颗粒大小和浓度对微塑料的吸收及其对植物特性的影响有多么重要，这可能对作物甚至生态系统都有重要意义。
