Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41011468›Full record

ArticleMicroorganisms2025

The Ecological Trap: Biodegradable Mulch Film Residue Undermines Soil Fungal Network Stability.

Maolu Wei, Yiping Wang, Feiyu Xie, Qian Sun, Huanhuan Shao, Xiaojie Cheng, Xiaoyan Wang, Xiang Tao, Xinyi He, Bin Yong and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Microorganisms, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Maolu WeiKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.
Yiping WangKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.
Feiyu XieKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.
Qian SunKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.
Huanhuan ShaoKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.
Xiaojie ChengKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.
Xiaoyan WangKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.
Xiang TaoKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.
Xinyi HeKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.
Bin YongKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.
Dongyan LiuKey Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu 610101, China.ORCID 0009-0004-2561-3863

Funding

Dongyan Liu grant number 31800425
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Biodegradable mulching films are promoted as alternatives to traditional polyethylene films, but their environmental impacts remain controversial. This study investigates how biodegradable films affect microplastic pollution of soil, fungal community structure, and ecological network stability. We conducted a maize field experiment comparing conventional polyethylene (CF, PE) and biodegradable (BF, PLA + PBAT) film residues. We used scanning electron microscopy and high-throughput sequencing of fungal ITS genes. We assessed soil properties, microplastic release, fungal communities, and network stability through co-occurrence analysis. BF degraded rapidly, releasing microplastic concentrations much higher than CF. BF increased soil carbon and nitrogen and substantially enhanced maize biomass. However, it significantly reduced soil pH and decreased key functional fungi (saprotrophs and symbionts) abundance. The fungal ecological network complexity and stability declined significantly. Correlation analysis revealed positive associations between saprotrophic and symbiotic fungi abundance and network stability. In contrast, CF reduced some nutrient levels but improved fungal network complexity and stability. This study reveals that biodegradable films create an "ecological trap." Short-term nutrient benefits mask systematic damage to soil microbial network stability. Our findings challenge the notion that "biodegradable equals environmentally friendly." Environmental assessments of agricultural materials must extend beyond degradability to include microplastic release, functional microbial responses, and ecological network stability.

Indexed as

biodegradable mulch filmecological trapfunctional replacementmaize rhizosphere soilmicroplasticssoil fungal network stability

Identifiers

PMID41011468
PMCPMC12472560

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.