CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China; National Forest Ecosystem Research Station at Xishuangbanna, Mengla, Yunnan 666300, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2024 Dec 5;480:136346. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136346. Epub 2024 Oct 29.
The rise of airborne micro-nanoplastics (MNPs) pollution poses a significant threat to agroecological systems. Despite this issue, there is a critical gap in our understanding of their specific effects on various leafy vegetable species. To address this, we conducted a controlled experiment applying Polystyrene Nanoplastics (PS-NPs) on four leafy vegetables: Brassica rapa var. chinensis, B. rapa var. parachinensis, Amaranthus viridis, and Allium tuberosum. Our results showed that PS-NPs tend to accumulate within the epidermal layers and cuticles of these vegetables, particularly around stomatal apertures. More PS-NPs were found on the adaxial and abaxial side of leaves, compared to the cross-section. The abundance of PS-NPs accumulations varied significantly among the studied species due to differences in leaf structure. Notably, leaves with trichomes trapped more PS-NPs particles. These accumulation significantly reduced chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rates, altering the growth and nutritional quality of the vegetables. Our findings reveal the ecological effects of PS-NPs on the nutrient content, phenotype, physiology, growth and biomass metrics of common leafy vegetables. This highlights the potential for PS-NPs accumulation in edible plant tissues, raising concerns about food security and human health.
空气中的微纳米塑料（MNPs）污染的增加对农业生态系统构成了重大威胁。尽管存在这个问题，但我们对它们对各种叶菜类物种的具体影响的理解存在一个关键的差距。为了解决这个问题，我们进行了一项对照实验，将聚苯乙烯纳米塑料（PS-NPs）应用于四种叶菜类：白菜亚种 chinensis、白菜亚种 parachinensis、苋菜和土豆。我们的结果表明，PS-NPs 倾向于在这些蔬菜的表皮层和角质层中积累，特别是在气孔周围。与横切面相比，PS-NPs 在叶片的腹面和背面更多。由于叶片结构的差异，研究物种之间 PS-NPs 积累的丰度差异显著。值得注意的是，有毛状体的叶片捕获了更多的 PS-NPs 颗粒。这些积累显著降低了叶绿素含量和光合作用速率，改变了蔬菜的生长和营养品质。我们的研究结果揭示了 PS-NPs 对常见叶菜类蔬菜的营养含量、表型、生理、生长和生物量指标的生态影响。这凸显了 PS-NPs 在可食用植物组织中积累的可能性，引起了对食品安全和人类健康的担忧。
