Researchers in China saw big reductions in organisms that play a crucial role in recycling carbon and nitrogen
Microplastic pollution is a significant threat to populations of soil-dwelling mites, larvae, and other small creatures that maintain the fertility of the land. A new study shows that plastic waste is concentrated more in the earth than in the oceans. With dire consequences for the abundance of species that lives below the surface level.
Microarthropod and nematodes are barely visible to the human eye such as mites, roundworms, springtails, and others. Who plays an essential role in recycling carbon and nitrogen and breaking down organic matter into a form that bacteria can consume.
80% of accumulated plastic waste leaked into landfills or the natural environment
The threats by oil-based synthetic refuse to microarthropod and nematodes are increasing day by day. Humans have produced 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastic waste since 1950. Of which 80% has accumulated in landfills or leaked into the natural environment.
Differently contaminated plots of subtropical land in Jinfoshan, Chongqing in China were studied. While each area was contaminated with four different densities of low density. Polyethylene fragments: 0, 5, 10, and 15 grams per sq meter. After leaving the plastic to seep into the soil for 287 days. The researchers studied a collective sample of 5 species and counted the species found inside.
At the highest level of plastic contamination, it was that found a significant decrease of the most common species, oribatid mites (down 15%), and even greater declines of three other arthropods Diptera (fly) larvae (down 30%), Lepidoptera (moth and butterfly) larvae (down 41%) and Hymenoptera (ants) (down 62%) in comparison to the control plots. The reduction in nematodes was about 20%.
The effects of microplastic pollution strongly cascade through the soil food webs
The study says that bacteria and fungi are amongst those who have shown a very to no effect on them, it concluded by saying that “the effects of microplastics strongly cascade through the soil food webs. Leading to the modification of microbial functioning with a potential to severely affect soil carbon and nutrient cycling”
The research further says that at different depths and in other environments. Yet the message for policymakers and consumers is clear: “We need to reduce in the usage of plastics and to avoid burying plastic wastes in soils as this indicates adverse ecological consequences on soil communities and biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems shortly.