Shahid Iqbal, Jianchu Xu, Muhammad Saleem Arif, Fiona R Worthy, Davey L Jones, Sehroon Khan, Sulaiman Ali Alharbi, Ekaterina Filimonenko, Sadia Nadir, Dengpan Bu, Awais Shakoor, Heng Gui, Douglas Allen Schaefer, Yakov Kuzyakov
Microplastics threaten soil ecosystems, strongly influencing carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents. Interactions between microplastic properties and climatic and edaphic factors are poorly understood. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the interactive effects of microplastic properties (type, shape, size, and content), native soil properties (texture, pH, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)) and climatic factors (precipitation and temperature) on C and N contents in soil. We found that low-density polyethylene reduced total nitrogen (TN) content, whereas biodegradable polylactic acid led to a decrease in soil organic carbon (SOC)...
May 3, 2024: Environmental Science & Technology