Microplastic contamination accelerates soil carbon loss through positive priming

verfasst von

Jie Zhou, Wenhao Feng, Robert W. Brown, Haishui Yang, Guodong Shao, Lingling Shi, Heng Gui, Jianchu Xu, Feng Min Li, Davey L. Jones, Kazem Zamanian

Abstract

The priming effect, i.e., the changes in soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition following fresh organic carbon (C) inputs is known to influence C storage in terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics (particle size <5 mm) are ubiquitous in soils due to the increasing use and often inadequate end-of-life management of plastics. Conventional polyethylene and bio-degradable (PHBV) plastics contain large amounts of C within their molecular structure, which can be assimilated by microorganisms. However, the extent and direction of the potential priming effect induced by microplastics is unclear. As such, we added ¹⁴C-labeled glucose to investigate how background polyethylene and PHBV microplastics (1 %, w/w) affect SOM decomposition and its potential microbial mechanisms in a short-term. The cumulative CO₂ emission in soil contaminated with PHBV was 42–53 % higher than under Polyethylene contaminated soil after 60-day incubation. Addition of glucose increased SOM decomposition and induced a positive priming effect, as a consequence, caused a negative net soil C balance (−59 to −132 μg C g⁻¹ soil) regardless of microplastic types. K-strategists dominated in the PHBV-contaminated soils and induced 72 % higher positive priming effects as compared to Polyethylene-contaminated soils (160 vs. 92 μg C g⁻¹ soil). This was attributed to the enhanced decomposition of recalcitrant SOM to acquire nitrogen. The stronger priming effect associated in PHBVs can be attributed to cooperative decomposition among fungi and bacteria, which metabolize more recalcitrant C in PHBV. Moreover, comparatively higher calorespirometric ratios, lower substrate use efficiency, and larger enzyme activity but shorter turnover time of enzymes indicated that soil contaminated with PHBV release more energy, and have a more efficient microbial catabolism and are more efficient in SOM decomposition and nutrient resource uptake. Overall, microplastics, (especially bio-degradable microplastics) can alter biogeochemical cycles with significant negative consequences for C sequestration via increasing SOM decomposition in agricultural soils and for regional and global C budgets.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Bodenkunde

Externe Organisation(en)

Nanjing Agricultural University
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Bangor University
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Kunming Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences

Typ

Artikel

Journal

Science of the Total Environment

Band

954

Anzahl der Seiten

11

ISSN

0048-9697

Publikationsdatum

14.09.2024

Publikationsstatus

Elektronisch veröffentlicht (E-Pub)

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Environmental engineering, Umweltchemie, Abfallwirtschaft und -entsorgung, Umweltverschmutzung

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 15 – Lebensraum Land

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176273 (Zugang: Geschlossen)