Microplastics act as a biological weapon for invasive plants in the water while serving as a protective shield for native plants on land.
Plastic pollution is typically viewed as a universal negative for all living things. These tiny particles function as ecological filters that favor different species depending on the habitat. In aquatic environments, microplastics help invasive species crowd out local plants and take over the ecosystem. On land, the same plastic particles actually inhibit those invaders and give native species a competitive edge. This complexity means that the environmental impact of plastic waste cannot be summarized with a single label.
Microplastics as habitat-dependent ecological filters: facilitating plant invasion in water while reinforcing biotic resistance on land
research_square · rs-8495451
Abstract Background and aims Global plastic pollution and biological invasions are two defining features of the Anthropocene, yet their interactive effects across different ecosystems remain poorly understood. We investigated whether microplastics act as context-dependent ecological filters that differentially influence the performance of the invasive Alternanthera philoxeroides and its native congener A. sessilis across aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Methods In a fully crossed factorial expe