Impact of microplastics on aquatic flora: Recent status, mechanisms of their toxicity and bioremediation strategies.

The accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments has occurred pervasively. The MPs affect almost all the aquatic plants including the aquatic microorganisms, ultimately disturbing the food chain. Aquatic flora attracts MPs due to the formation of several chemical bonds and interactions, including hydrogen bonds, electrostatic, hydrophobic, and van der Waals.

Do microplastics dramatically shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization in marine environments?

The impacts of microplastics (MPs) on the marine ecosystem have remained the focus of global attention. The microbial colonization plays an important role in driving the functional process of entire marine ecosystems, during which protozoa employ primary contributors for transferring the energy flow from the low to high trophic levels. To investigate the effects of MPs on microbial colonization, the protozoan assemblages were used as test organisms and exposed to a gradient of MP concentrations.

Bioremediation of Contaminated Soil by Fungi: A Call for Research.

Soil contamination represents a global environmental challenge, posing a threat to soil ecosystems, agricultural production, and human health [...

Microplastics regulate soil microbial activities: Evidence from catalase, dehydrogenase, and fluorescein diacetate hydrolase.

Soil microbiomes drive many soil processes and maintain the ecological functions of terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics (MPs, size <5 mm) are pervasive emerging contaminants worldwide. However, how MPs affect soil microbial activity has not been well elucidated.

Zinc Enhances Cadmium Accumulation in Shoots of Hyperaccumulator by Improving ATP-Dependent Transport and Alleviating Toxicity.

is a cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) accumulator with potential for phytoextraction of soil contaminated with heavy metals. However, how Zn affects Cd accumulation in remains unclear. In this study, seedlings were treated with 100 μmol·L Zn (Zn100), 100 μmol·L Cd (Cd100), and the Zn and Cd combination (Zn100+Cd100) for 10 days under hydroponic culture.

The fate and impact of CoO nanoparticles in the soil environment: Observing the dose effect of nanoparticles on soybeans.

The widespread presence and distribution of metal-based nanoparticles (NPs) in soil is threatening crop growth and food security. However, little is known about the fate of CoO NPs in the soil-soybean system and their phytotoxicity. The study demonstrated the effects of CoO NPs on soybean growth and yield in soil after 60 days and 140 days, and compared them with the phytotoxic effects of Co.

Biodegradable Microplastic-Driven Change in Soil pH Affects Soybean Rhizosphere Microbial N Transformation Processes.

The potential impacts of biodegradable and nonbiodegradable microplastics (MPs) on rhizosphere microbial nitrogen (N) transformation processes remain ambiguous. Here, we systematically investigated how biodegradable (polybutylene succinate, PBS) MPs and nonbiodegradable (polyethylene, PE) MPs affect microbial N processes by determining rhizosphere soil indicators of typical max (soybean)-soil (i.e.

Response and adaptation mechanisms of Apostichopus japonicus to single and combined anthropogenic stresses of polystyrene microplastics or cadmium.

Microplastics (MPs) have become pervasive in marine ecosystems, exerting detrimental effects on marine life. The concurrent presence and interaction of MPs and heavy metals in aquatic environments could engender more insidious toxicological impacts. This study aimed to elucidate the potential impacts and underlying mechanisms of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs), cadmium (Cd), and their combined stress (MPs-Cd) on sea cucumbers (Apostichopus japonicus).

Insight into the latitudinal gradient of biodiversity based on spatial variations in pelagic ciliate communities along the western Arctic Ocean.

The latitudinal dynamics of biodiversity has been the focus of global attention. This study is based on the latitude gradient of biodiversity in the spatial changes of pelagic ciliate communities in the western Arctic Ocean. The gradient pattern of pelagic ciliate communities across four latitudes were investigated from the water surface at 22 sampling station in the northern Bering Sea of the western Arctic Ocean and Chukchi Sea from August 5 to August 24, 2016.

Microplastics drive community dynamics of periphytic protozoan fauna in marine environments.

The pollution of microplastics (MPs) to the marine environment has become a widespread focus of attention. To assess MP-induced ecotoxicity on marine ecosystems, periphytic protozoan communities were used as test organisms and exposed to five concentrations of MPs: 0, 1, 5, 25, and 125 mg l. Protozoan samples were collected using microscope slides from coastal waters of the Yellow Sea, northern China.

[Effects of Microplastics on the Leaching of Nutrients and Cadmium from Soil].

The environmental effects of microplastics, which are considered a type of emerging contaminants, have attracted increasing concern due to their small size, large specific surface area, strong adsorption capacity, and low degradability. Microplastics can change soil properties and affect the migration ability of nutrients and pollutants in soil, but their effects on the leaching of soil nutrients and heavy metals have not been sufficiently studied. A soil column leaching experiment was conducted to explore the effects of polystyrene (PS) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics at different mass fractions (0%, 0.

Abundance, characteristics and risk assessment of microplastics in aquatic sediments: A comparative study in the Yellow River and Yellow Sea.

The occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic ecosystems has become an increasingly serious threat to public health. Marine sediments are considered the final recipients of all microplastic pollution from inland rivers, however, whether and how the MPs differ in these two ecosystems remains poorly known due to the divergent MPs detection methods employed in previous studies. Here, we investigated the abundance, size, and types of MPs in sediment samples from the Yellow River and Yellow Sea using laser direct infrared (LDIR), and assessed their ecological risks.

Toxicity Mechanisms of Nanoplastics on Crop Growth, Interference of Phyllosphere Microbes, and Evidence for Foliar Penetration and Translocation.

Despite the increasing prevalence of atmospheric nanoplastics (NPs), there remains limited research on their phytotoxicity, foliar absorption, and translocation in plants. In this study, we aimed to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the physiological effects of tomato leaves exposed to differently charged NPs and foliar absorption and translocation of NPs. We found that positively charged NPs caused more pronounced physiological effects, including growth inhibition, increased antioxidant enzyme activity, and altered gene expression and metabolite composition and even significantly changed the structure and composition of the phyllosphere microbial community.

Co-occurring tree species drive arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity in tropical forest.

It is still uncertain whether environment or host plant species is more important in determining AMF diversity; although, plant roots are usually associated with abundant AMF species in different environments. This study explored the effect of plant species and environmental factors on AMF diversity based on three co-occurring tree species (Glochidion coccineum, Schefflera octophylla, and Schima superba) on six elevations of Mt. Jianfengling.

Biochar Decreases Cr Toxicity and Accumulation in Sunflower Grown in Cr(VI)-Polluted Soil.

Biochar is preferentially recommended for the remediation of heavy metal-polluted soils. Sunflower is an important high-biomass oil crop with a promising potential for phytoremediation of Cr(VI)-polluted soil. However, how biochar affects sunflower growth and Cr accumulation in Cr(VI)-polluted soil needs to be elucidated.

Global hotspots and trends in interactions of microplastics and heavy metals: a bibliometric analysis and literature review.

Microplastics (MPs) are identified as emerging contaminants; however, their interactions with heavy metals in the environment have not been well elucidated. Here, the research progress, hotspots, and trends in the interactions of MPs and heavy metals were analyzed at a global scale using a bibliometric analysis combined with a literature review. We comprehensively searched the Web of Science Core Collection database from 2008 to July 5, 2022.