Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2025
14:10
Separation and Identification of Conventional Microplastics from Farmland Soils
Published on: March 21, 2025
1.3K
Leaf absorption contributes to accumulation of microplastics in plants
Ye Li1, Junjie Zhang1, Li Xu2
1MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, P. R. China.
Nature
|April 9, 2025
Summary
Atmospheric microplastics (MPs) are absorbed by plant leaves, entering food chains. This study confirms widespread uptake of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS) MPs in plants, highlighting a significant environmental exposure route.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Plant Biology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Plant roots absorb terrestrial microplastics (MPs), but translocation is slow.
- Atmospheric MPs are prevalent, yet direct plant absorption evidence was limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the direct absorption of atmospheric microplastics by plant leaves.
- To quantify microplastic accumulation in plant tissues and identify absorption pathways.
Main Methods:
- Mass spectrometry to detect polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS) polymers and oligomers in leaves.
- Hyperspectral imaging and atomic force microscopy-infrared spectroscopy for nano-sized particle visualization.
- Confocal microscopy and laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to trace particle uptake and translocation in maize (Zea mays L.).
Main Results:
- Widespread occurrence of PET and PS polymers and oligomers in plant leaves, increasing with atmospheric concentrations.
- Detection of nano-sized PET and PS particles in leaves, with concentrations up to 10^4 ng/g dry weight in high-pollution areas.
- Demonstrated absorption of plastic particles by maize leaves via stomata, translocation to vascular tissue, and accumulation in trichomes.
Conclusions:
- Atmospheric microplastic absorption and accumulation by plant leaves is a widespread environmental phenomenon.
- This pathway is critical for assessing human and organismal exposure to microplastics.
- The findings necessitate re-evaluation of environmental microplastic risk assessments.
Related Concept Videos
02:34Water and Mineral Acquisition
28.8K
Specialized tissues in plant roots have evolved to capture water, minerals, and some ions from the soil. Roots exhibit a variety of branching patterns that facilitate this process. The outermost root cells have specialized structures called root hairs that increase the root surface, thus increasing soil contact. Water can passively cross into roots, as the concentration of water in the soil is higher than that of the root tissue. Minerals, in contrast, are actively transported into root cells.
28.8K
02:16Light Acquisition
8.4K
In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
8.4K
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
25.0K
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
25.0K
01:46The Apoplast and Symplast
49.6K
Plant growth depends on its ability to take up water and dissolved minerals from the soil. The root system of every plant is equipped with the necessary tissues to facilitate the entry of water and solutes. The plant tissues involved in the transport of water and minerals have two major compartments - the apoplast and the symplast. The apoplast includes everything outside the plasma membrane of living cells and consists of cell walls, extracellular spaces, xylem, phloem, and tracheids. The...
49.6K
02:41Responses to Drought and Flooding
10.6K
Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
10.6K
02:02Responses to Salt Stress
12.9K
Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.
12.9K