Microplastics (MPs) are widely identified as emerging hazards causing considerable eco-toxicity in terrestrial ecosystems, but the impacts differ in different ecosystem functions among different chemical compositions, morphology, sizes, concentrations, and experiment duration. Given the close relationships and trade-offs between plant and soil systems, probing the "whole ecosystem" instead of individual functions must yield novel insights into MPs affecting terrestrial ecosystems. Here, a comprehensive meta-analysis was employed to reveal an unambiguous response of the plant-soil-microbial system to MPs. Results showed that in view of plant, soil, and microbial functions, the general response patterns of plant and soil functions to MPs were obviously opposite. For example, polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) MPs highly increased plant functions, while posed negative effects on soil functions. Polystyrene (PS) and biodegradable (Bio) MPs decreased plant functions, while stimulating soil functions. Additionally, low-density polyethylene (LDPE), PE, PS, PVC, Bio, and granular MPs significantly decreased soil microbial functions. These results clearly revealed that MPs alter the equilibrium of the plant-soil-microbial system. More importantly, our results further revealed that MPs tended to increase ecosystem multifunctionality, e.g., LDPE and PVC MPs posed positive effects on ecosystem multifunctionality, PE, PS, and Bio MPs showed neutral effects on ecosystem multifunctionality. Linear regression analysis showed that under low MPs size (<100 µm), ecosystem multifunctionality was gradually reduced with the increased size of MPs. The response of ecosystem multifunctionality showed a concave shape pattern along the gradient of experimental duration which was lower than 70 days. More importantly, there was a threshold (i.e., 5% w/w) for the effects of MPs concentration on ecosystem multifunctionality, i.e., under low concentration (< 5% w/w), ecosystem multifunctionality was gradually increased with the increased concentration of MPs, while ecosystem multifunctionality was gradually decreased under high concentration (i.e., > 5% w/w). These findings emphasize the importance of studying the effects of MPs on plant-soil-microbial systems and help us identify ways to reduce the eco-toxicity of MPs and maintain environmental safety in view of an ecology perspective.
Scientific fertilization is an important technical means of achieving high and stable peanut yields. Using soil testing and formula fertilization, the "3414" optimal regression design was used and included 14 nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilization treatments. Ternary quadratic functions of the fertilizer effect were established according to three-season field experiments and the regression analysis of fertilizer-yield function was performed to explore the optimal fertilizer application mode and ratio for peanuts under mulched drip irrigation (MDI), and a suitable fertilizer application system was established. The ternary quadratic equation relating peanut yield (
Abstract The availability of phosphorus (P) fertilizer applied to soil can diminish rapidly because of the complex soil P immobilization processes. However, the quantitative distribution of fertilizer P in the soil P fractions is not fully understood. Here, two experiments were conducted in a greenhouse using 32 P‐labelled KH 2 PO 4 to (i) quantify the distribution of P fertilizer in soil fractions, microorganisms and maize shoots grown in contrasting soils; (ii) characterize the effect of planting maize on soil P fractions and (iii) determine the amount of plant P derived from fertilizer vs. soil. Depending on the soil type, 74.1%–84.1% of the labelled P was retained in the soil, 11.4%–14.5% was found in maize shoots and 0.7%–4.5% was present in microorganisms. Distribution of applied P in the soil P fractions was dependent on soil type, with most P present as NaOH‐Pi and residual‐P in the Red soil, and as HCl‐P in the Fluvo‐aquic soil. Root‐mediated processes were involved in mobilisation of residual‐P in all three soils, with significant depletion of NaOH‐Pi in the Red soil, NaOH‐Pi and HCl‐P in the Black soil, and HCl‐P in the Fluvo‐aquic soil. The plant P derived from fertilizer and soil increased with increasing P addition rates in all three soils. In the soils with low‐P availability, fertilizer contributed more P to plants than soil, whereas in the initially high‐P soil, the opposite occurred. In conclusion, the partitioning of fertilizer P to various soil P fractions is dependent on the soil type, and the contribution of P derived from fertilizer to maize P uptake was related inversely to the soil legacy P.