Microplastics in soils have an impact on underground food webs, researchers in China say.
(File image). Photo: 123RF
Microplastics are recognised as an emerging contaminant worldwide, but little is known about whether and how they affect different populations of organisms within soil.
The results of a study by Chongqing University have been released today by the Royal Society - the UK's national academy of sciences.
Researchers tested the impact of plastic pollution on soil by sprinkling different amounts of microplastics across a field.
Less than a year later, their samples revealed significant impacts on some of the "tiny critters" that lived in the dirt.
Their modelling suggested these effects would filter through underground food chains, which could negatively affect soil health and plant growth.