The presence of microplastics (MPs) throughout the world causes a serious
threat to the functionality and vigor of the ecosystem, which is present in almost all
habitats, such as in aquatic, atmospheric and terrestrial habitats, and is also found in
human consumables. Recently it has been found that MPs have entered the human
body through the food chain from terrestrial agriculture. Migration and retention of
MPs in the soil are controlled by the interaction between MPs and various
environmental factors. There is an immense need in real-world environments to
understand the migration properties and key mechanisms of MPs. Various organisms
such as plants, animals, different microorganisms present in the soil, etc. are impacted
by the presence of toxic MPs in the environment. Therefore, to ensure food safety and
sustainable agriculture, MPs should be treated as a future threat and attention should be
given to understand the mechanisms of transport and ecotoxicological effects of
contaminants released from MPs. The aim of the present chapter is to emphasize the
impact of MPs on various organisms present in the ecosystem and their interaction with
other contaminants.
Keywords: Antioxidative enzymes, Contaminants, Ecosystem, Embryonic development, Fecundity, Food chain, Hazard, Human health, Microbes, Mortality, Microplastics, Multiple stressors, Nanoplastics, Non-degradation, Oxidative stress, Plant growth, Reactive oxygen species, Seed germination, Stress responsive genes, Toxicity.
