Microplastics deplete soil available nutrients: a global meta-analysis with machine learning reveals critical thresholds and interactive controls.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος:	Microplastics deplete soil available nutrients: a global meta-analysis with machine learning reveals critical thresholds and interactive controls.
Συγγραφείς:	Xiang Y; School of Geography and Resources, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, China., Peñuelas J; CSIC Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF - Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain., Rillig MC; Institut für Biologie, Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin D-14195, Germany., Luo X; School of Geography and Resources, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, China., Nizzetto L; Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Økernveien 94, 0579 Oslo, Norway., Akkanen J; Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland., Liu Y; School of Biological Sciences, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, China., Luo Y; School of Geography and Resources, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, China., Yao B; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Ecology Conservation and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China. Electronic address: acmn21@caf.ac.cn., Li Y; Grasslands and Sustainable Farming, Production Systems Unit, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Halolantie 31 A, 71750, Maaninka, Finland. Electronic address: yuan.li@luke.fi.
Πηγή:	Water research [Water Res] 2026 Aug 15; Vol. 301, pp. 126056. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 02.
Τύπος έκδοσης:	Journal Article; Meta-Analysis
Γλώσσα:	English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού:	Publisher: Pergamon Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0105072 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-2448 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00431354 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Water Res Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):	Original Publication: Oxford, Pergamon Press.
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH):	Soil/chemistry , Boosting Machine Learning Algorithms , Microplastics*, Nitrogen ; Nutrients ; Phosphorus ; Soil Pollutants
Περίληψη:	Microplastics (MPs) contamination threatens soil nutrient bioavailability, yet quantitative understanding of effect magnitudes and controlling factors remains fragmented across diverse environmental contexts. Here, we synthesized 206 studies (2853 observations) spanning 12 countries and diverse agricultural systems (soil pH 4.5-8.5; organic matter 5-80 g kg^-1) to quantify MPs impacts on soil available nitrogen (AN), phosphorus (AP), and potassium (AK). We integrated random-effects meta-analysis using log response ratios (lnRR) with eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) machine learning interpreted through SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to identify non-linear relationships and interactive controls. The dataset comprised predominantly controlled experiments (pot: 49%; incubation: 50%; field: 1%), with geographical concentration in East Asia (92%). Across all experimental setups, MPs significantly depleted AN by 5.3%, AP by 9.4%, and AK by 7.0% relative to controls. However, effects were context-dependent: pot/incubation studies showed significant depletion, while field studies reported no significant changes. XGBoost models (R² = 0.44-0.62) indicated hierarchical control structures, with soil pH dominating AN responses (relative importance: 18.4%) and MPs concentration governing AP (15.2%) and AK (14.8%). SHAP analysis identified critical thresholds: particle size effects plateaued above 100 μm, concentration impacts saturated beyond 10 g kg^-1, and pH-dependent reversals shifted from depletion in acidic soils to enrichment under alkaline conditions. Biodegradable plastics (e.g., PLA, PBAT) caused equal or greater short-term nutrient immobilization than conventional polymers, though mechanisms likely differ: biodegradable MPs may stimulate microbial biomass growth that temporarily sequesters nutrients, whereas conventional plastics primarily act through surface sorption. Partial dependence analysis indicated synergistic interactions: small particles (<50 μm) combined with high concentrations (>30 g kg^-1) induced depletion 1.5-2.3-fold beyond additive expectations. These findings establish quantitative thresholds for risk assessment and demonstrate that MPs-induced nutrient limitation, observed primarily in controlled settings, could affect crop yields, necessitating interventions to prevent irreversible soil fertility degradation, though field-scale validation remains essential. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests:	Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Contributed Indexing:	Keywords: Machine learning; Meta-analysis; Nutrient bioavailability; Soil–water interface; Sorption dynamics
Substance Nomenclature:	0 (Microplastics) N762921K75 (Nitrogen) 27YLU75U4W (Phosphorus) 0 (Soil) 0 (Soil Pollutants)
Entry Date(s):	Date Created: 20260513 Date Completed: 20260716 Latest Revision: 20260811
Update Code:	20260812
DOI:	10.1016/j.watres.2026.126056
PMID:	42127832
Βάση Δεδομένων:	MEDLINE

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Περιγραφή
ISSN:	1879-2448
DOI:	10.1016/j.watres.2026.126056