NSF Award
2506883
This project aims at understanding the interactions between microplastics, soil, and microorganisms. As minuscule plastic fragments slowly break down in soil, they create a zone at their surface called a plastisphere, a unique microbial habitat that is reshaping the subterranean landscape. This plastisphere alters the properties of its surroundings, differing markedly from neighboring soil in how easily it erodes, interacts with water, and provides habitat to millions of microbes. The study would describe possible mechanisms for microbe mobility and changes in microbial diversity, that could have public health and ecological implications. This research would provide information that could guide efforts to mitigate the potentially far-reaching impacts of microplastics in soils. This is a project jointly funded by the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Geosciences (NSF/GEO) and the National Environment Research Council (NERC) of the United Kingdom (UK) via the NSF/GEO-NERC Lead Agency Agreement. This Agreement allows a single joint US/UK proposal to be submitted and peer-reviewed by the Agency whose investigator has the largest proportion of the budget. Upon successful joint determination of an award recommendation, each Agency funds the proportion of the budget that supports scientists at institutions in their respective countries.<br/><br/>A multidisciplinary international team from Cornell University and the University of Aberdeen, in the UK, aims to disentangle the interactions between physical, biogeochemical, and microbial processes in the plastisphere. The research has three phases. First, the team will examine how various microplastics, including biodegradable ones, age in different soils, assessing their impact on the pores that provide microbial habitat and water transport pathways. Next, the investigators will explore plastisphere development under diverse environmental conditions, tracking spatial and temporal changes. Finally, the researchers will investigate how the plastisphere influences water dynamics and microbial transport, using advanced modelling to predict potential environmental impacts. To achieve these goals, the researchers will deploy a suite of cutting-edge techniques, that span multiple scales, from microscopic observations to field-level assessments. The plastisphere will be visualized using 3D X-Ray tomography, while spatial surface biogeochemical and molecular biology measurements will help decipher the chemical, biological, and physical drivers at play. Of particular interest is the use of innovative DNA tracers to track microbial movement through the altered soil landscape.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
