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Updated: Nov 17, 2025

Forming Micro-and Nano-Plastics from Agricultural Plastic Films for Employment in Fundamental Research Studies

Forming Micro-and Nano-Plastics from Agricultural Plastic Films for Employment in Fundamental Research Studies

Published on: July 27, 2022

LDPE microplastics affect soil microbial communities and nitrogen cycling.

Lili Rong¹, Longfei Zhao¹, Leicheng Zhao¹

¹MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.

The Science of the Total Environment

|February 14, 2021

Summary

Microplastics (MPs) impact soil bacterial communities and nitrogen cycling. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) MPs altered bacterial networks and the abundance of key nitrogen-cycling genes over 90 days.

Keywords:

Co-occurrence network Nitrogen cycling Polyethylene microplastics Soil microbial community

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Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Soil Science
Microbiology

Background:

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging environmental contaminants.
Their effects on soil ecosystems, particularly nitrogen cycling, are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) MPs on soil bacterial communities and nitrogen cycling functions.
To assess these effects over a 90-day incubation period using a microcosm experiment.

Main Methods:

Indoor microcosm experiment with varying LDPE MP concentrations (2% and 7%).
Next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes to analyze bacterial community structure.
Analysis of key nitrogen cycling genes (nifH, AOBamoA, AOAamoA, nirK, nirS) abundance.
Co-occurrence network analysis to understand bacterial interactions.

Main Results:

LDPE MPs slightly affected soil bacterial diversity but altered genus-level abundance and bacterial network complexity.
Specific bacterial genera showed differential tolerance and enrichment in response to LDPE MPs.
Abundance of nitrogen cycling genes (nifH, AOBamoA, nirK) increased, while AOAamoA and nirS showed dynamic changes.

Conclusions:

LDPE MPs significantly impact soil bacterial community structure and interactions.
Soil nitrogen cycling processes are altered by the presence of LDPE MPs.
Further research is needed to understand the long-term ecological consequences of microplastic pollution in soils.