Seasonal variations and risk assessment of microplastic contamination in agricultural soil and associated macroinvertebrates in Egypt.

ABSTRACT: Contamination by microplastics (MPs) has the potential to rank among the world's most significant environmental issues. Despite the fact that MP contamination is a global problem, little is known about the time variation of MPs in agricultural soil and its faunal communities which represent a key role to risk assessment. This study represents a first field investigation regarding the MP concentrations in agricultural ecosystem in Egypt. Our study investigates the seasonal fluctuations of MPs in soil and its common fauna in a citrus orchard (Citrus sinensis) in Egypt's Sohag Governorate. Moreover, this work aimed to identify how feeding strategies and body size of the selected fauna affect the no. of MPs ingested. The greatest mean concentration of MPs in soil was observed in summer (664 ± 

SUBMITTER: El-Masry SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11850816 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature