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Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
Published on: May 10, 2013
Biodegradable microplastics-induced free-living nitrogen fixation enhancement and diazotrophic community
Yujuan Han1, Peixin Gao2, Jiping Song1
1State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, Shandong Key Laboratory of Bulk Open-field Vegetable Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Huang Huai Protected Horticulture Engineering, Institute of Vegetables, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, 250100, China.
None:
Rising global use of biodegradable plastics (BPs) in agriculture raises concerns about the impacts of microplastics (MPs) derived from these materials on soil ecological functioning. Free-living nitrogen fixation (FLNF) serves as a major contributor of new nitrogen to soil ecosystems, playing a critical role in sustaining global ecosystem productivity. Yet, little is known about the biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) effects on FLNF. Here, we conducted microcosm experiments by adding biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and conventional polyethylene (PE) MPs to three agricultural soils. Results showed that PBAT MPs enhanced FLNF in a dose-dependent manner, with significant increases in N2 fixation rate by 170.88% in SD, 108.85% in SX, and 171.41% in XJ under 2% PBAT treatment, whereas PE MPs exhibited no significant effects except potential low-dose stimulation. High-dose PBAT MPs significantly increased soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content but reduced the availability of key nutrients, specifically decreasing available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK) contents by 7.90-25.63%, 7.53-18.21%, and 3.49-7.00%, respectively. Moreover, compared to PE MPs, PBAT MPs inputs triggered more pronounced changes in diazotrophic communities. In particular, diazotrophic communities exhibited significant niche differentiation under PBAT MPs exposure, characterized by a shift towards specialists and a reduction in generalists. Despite divergent pathways through which PBAT MPs affect FLNF in different soils, DOC content and specialists relative abundance were consistent factors regulating N2 fixation rate across all soils. Collectively, our findings demonstrated the distinct impacts of biodegradable and conventional MPs on FLNF, highlighting the stimulatory effects of BMPs on FLNF through regulation of soil carbon availability and diazotrophic community specialization. This work provides novel insights into the ecological consequences of BMPs functioning as labile C substrates on microbially mediated nitrogen cycling.
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