Effects of polystyrene nanoparticles on the microbiota and functional diversity of enzymes in soil.

Background: The increasing production of nanoplastics and the fragmentation of microplastics into smaller particles suggest a plausible yet unclear hazard in the natural environment, such as soil. We investigated the short-term effects (28 days) of polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) on the activity and biomass of soil microbiota, and the functional diversity of soil enzymes at environmental relevant low levels in an incubation experiment.

Results: Our results showed a significant decrease in microbial biomass in treatments of 100 and 1000 ng PS-NP g DM throughout the incubation period.