Cascading effects from soil to maize functional traits explain maize response to microplastics disturbance in multi-nutrient soil environment
Microplastics (MPs) is a major threat to agroecosystems. Their accumulation and impacts should be evaluated to advance our understanding of soil function and health. Uncovering the role of cascade effects in regulating crop growth is crucial to understanding the link between MPs disturbance and envi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Geoderma |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706123004366 |
| _version_ | 1827578743305011200 |
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| author | Ziqi Guo Peng Li Lihui Ma Xiaomei Yang Jinqiu Yang Yang Wu Guobin Liu Coen J. Ritsema Violette Geissen |
| author_facet | Ziqi Guo Peng Li Lihui Ma Xiaomei Yang Jinqiu Yang Yang Wu Guobin Liu Coen J. Ritsema Violette Geissen |
| author_sort | Ziqi Guo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microplastics (MPs) is a major threat to agroecosystems. Their accumulation and impacts should be evaluated to advance our understanding of soil function and health. Uncovering the role of cascade effects in regulating crop growth is crucial to understanding the link between MPs disturbance and environmental functions. Therefore, we aimed to assess how the cascade changes between (non-) biological factors and functional traits of maize regulate the response of maize growth to MPs in different nutrient soil environments. We found that soil dehydration induced by MPs may disrupt the balance of the physiological status of maize, negatively affect photosynthetic performance, and enhance competition among organisms for limited nutrients. However, root-responsive nutrient cues with a high degree of tectonic freedom allowed adaptive phenotypic plasticity to occur, masking the negative effects of MPs. In nutrient-rich soil environments, moderate and high intensity (>0.5 %) MPs disturbances initiated root nutrient foraging activities, and maize tended to decrease its cost of investing in root construction, i.e., increasing specific root length (SRL) to promote its own growth. The growth of maize was mainly characterized by increases in the belowground biomass (BGB, 7.11 to 20.81 g) and aboveground biomass (AGB, 61.11 to 118.26 g). Our study suggests that a cascade effect between environmental factors initiated by MPs and the functional architecture of the maize root system drives maize to regulate its growth by responding to nutrient cues. These findings will help to ensure food security, formulate environmental risk management policies and protect soil health, especially in the context of future agriculture. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:51:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-37cd77f74c20431fb986f139d54e4ad8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1872-6259 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:51:48Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geoderma |
| spelling | doaj.art-37cd77f74c20431fb986f139d54e4ad82023-12-20T07:32:55ZengElsevierGeoderma1872-62592024-01-01441116759Cascading effects from soil to maize functional traits explain maize response to microplastics disturbance in multi-nutrient soil environmentZiqi Guo0Peng Li1Lihui Ma2Xiaomei Yang3Jinqiu Yang4Yang Wu5Guobin Liu6Coen J. Ritsema7Violette Geissen8State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaChendu Engineering Corporation Limited, Power China, Chendu 610072, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, China; Corresponding author at: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China.College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, 712100 Yangling, China; Wageningen University & Research, Soil Physics and Land Management, POB 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, NetherlandsState Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, ChinaWageningen University & Research, Soil Physics and Land Management, POB 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, NetherlandsWageningen University & Research, Soil Physics and Land Management, POB 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, NetherlandsMicroplastics (MPs) is a major threat to agroecosystems. Their accumulation and impacts should be evaluated to advance our understanding of soil function and health. Uncovering the role of cascade effects in regulating crop growth is crucial to understanding the link between MPs disturbance and environmental functions. Therefore, we aimed to assess how the cascade changes between (non-) biological factors and functional traits of maize regulate the response of maize growth to MPs in different nutrient soil environments. We found that soil dehydration induced by MPs may disrupt the balance of the physiological status of maize, negatively affect photosynthetic performance, and enhance competition among organisms for limited nutrients. However, root-responsive nutrient cues with a high degree of tectonic freedom allowed adaptive phenotypic plasticity to occur, masking the negative effects of MPs. In nutrient-rich soil environments, moderate and high intensity (>0.5 %) MPs disturbances initiated root nutrient foraging activities, and maize tended to decrease its cost of investing in root construction, i.e., increasing specific root length (SRL) to promote its own growth. The growth of maize was mainly characterized by increases in the belowground biomass (BGB, 7.11 to 20.81 g) and aboveground biomass (AGB, 61.11 to 118.26 g). Our study suggests that a cascade effect between environmental factors initiated by MPs and the functional architecture of the maize root system drives maize to regulate its growth by responding to nutrient cues. These findings will help to ensure food security, formulate environmental risk management policies and protect soil health, especially in the context of future agriculture.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706123004366MicroplasticsCrop growthCascading effectsFunctional traitsSoil health |
| spellingShingle | Ziqi Guo Peng Li Lihui Ma Xiaomei Yang Jinqiu Yang Yang Wu Guobin Liu Coen J. Ritsema Violette Geissen Cascading effects from soil to maize functional traits explain maize response to microplastics disturbance in multi-nutrient soil environment Geoderma Microplastics Crop growth Cascading effects Functional traits Soil health |
| title | Cascading effects from soil to maize functional traits explain maize response to microplastics disturbance in multi-nutrient soil environment |
| title_full | Cascading effects from soil to maize functional traits explain maize response to microplastics disturbance in multi-nutrient soil environment |
| title_fullStr | Cascading effects from soil to maize functional traits explain maize response to microplastics disturbance in multi-nutrient soil environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cascading effects from soil to maize functional traits explain maize response to microplastics disturbance in multi-nutrient soil environment |
| title_short | Cascading effects from soil to maize functional traits explain maize response to microplastics disturbance in multi-nutrient soil environment |
| title_sort | cascading effects from soil to maize functional traits explain maize response to microplastics disturbance in multi nutrient soil environment |
| topic | Microplastics Crop growth Cascading effects Functional traits Soil health |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706123004366 |
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