Current Situation and Ecological Effects of Microplastic Pollution in Soil

Microplastics have received more and more attention worldwide as an emerging persistent pollutant. Soil microplastic pollution can cause serious environmental problems and potentially endanger the soil ecosystems and human health. Currently, most available studies of microplastics have been performed in aquatic environments. However, soil environments have been less studied, and our understanding of microplastic pollution in soil is still lacking. Therefore, based on the existing knowledge, this review firstly focuses on the current situation of microplastic pollution in soil, basically including sources, distribution characteristics, degradation, and migration. Furthermore, analytical methods are briefly discussed, and ecological effects of microplastics in soil are summarized. Soil is a reservoir of microplastics. Microplastics have a wide distribution and high abundance in environmental media, and their distribution in soil exhibits spatial heterogeneity. Microplastics affect soil physicochemical properties, soil microorganisms, soil fauna, and plants through several mechanisms, leading to different ecological effects. Finally, future research directions of soil microplastic pollution are proposed to provide novel ideas for follow-up research.