Deng Wenbo, Zhang Xiaoqi, Liu Wenjuan, Wang Xingfei, Wang Zihan, Liu Jinxian, Zhai Wenjuan, Wang Jian, Zhao Zhibo
Shanxi Key Laboratory for Ecological Restoration of Loess Plateau China, Observation and Research Station of the Ministry of Education of Shanxi Subalpine Grassland Ecosystem, Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
Shanxi Key Laboratory for Ecological Restoration of Loess Plateau China, Observation and Research Station of the Ministry of Education of Shanxi Subalpine Grassland Ecosystem, Institute of Loess Plateau, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2025 Jul 5;491:137890. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137890. Epub 2025 Mar 10.
Despite recent advances in the understanding of the impacts of microplastics (MPs) on the soil microbiome under short-term exposure, little information is known regarding the long-term ecological effects of MPs in soil, especially biodegradable MPs (BMPs). Here, we systematically compared the effects of four prevalent microplastics, including two conventional MPs (CMPs) and two BMPs, on the soil microbiome over short- and long-term exposure durations. The soil microbial community were not significantly affected by the MP addition under short-term exposure; however, the soil microbial composition was obviously impacted by MP exposure under long-term exposure, some MP-adapted microbes (e.g., the phyla Protobacteria and Actinobacteria) were enriched but the phyla Acidobacteriota declined. These results indicated that the effects of the MP exposure on the soil microbiome were time dependent. PERMANOVA analysis demonstrated that the exposure time played a more important role in the variation in soil microbiome than the polymer type. The soil microbes which were reshaped by MPs were specialized in genetic potential of lipid metabolism and xenobiotics degradation and metabolism and weakened in microbial genetic information process. The carbon metabolic capacity and nitrogen transformation of soil microbes were disturbed by MPs under long-term exposure. Compared with CMPs, many more MPs derivatives, such as dissolved organic matter and low molecular-weight oligomers, were released from BMPs during the long-term degradation process in soil; thus, BMPs had a stronger effect on the soil microbiome than CMPs under long-term exposure. This study underscores the potential risk of the replacement of conventional plastics with biodegradable plastics.
尽管近期在理解短期暴露下微塑料（MPs）对土壤微生物群落的影响方面取得了进展，但关于MPs在土壤中的长期生态效应，尤其是可生物降解微塑料（BMPs）的相关信息却知之甚少。在此，我们系统地比较了四种常见微塑料，包括两种传统微塑料（CMPs）和两种BMPs，在短期和长期暴露期间对土壤微生物群落的影响。短期暴露下，添加MPs对土壤微生物群落没有显著影响；然而，长期暴露下，MPs暴露明显影响了土壤微生物组成，一些适应MPs的微生物（如变形菌门和放线菌门）富集了，但酸杆菌门数量减少。这些结果表明，MPs暴露对土壤微生物群落的影响具有时间依赖性。PERMANOVA分析表明，暴露时间对土壤微生物群落变化的影响比聚合物类型更为重要。被MPs重塑的土壤微生物在脂质代谢以及异生物质降解和代谢的遗传潜力方面表现出特异性，而在微生物遗传信息过程方面则有所减弱。长期暴露下，MPs扰乱了土壤微生物的碳代谢能力和氮转化。与CMPs相比，在土壤长期降解过程中，BMPs释放出更多的MPs衍生物，如溶解有机物和低分子量低聚物；因此，长期暴露下，BMPs对土壤微生物群落的影响比CMPs更强。本研究强调了用可生物降解塑料替代传统塑料的潜在风险。
