Research findings were released that microplastics can inhibit photosynthesis in plants, potentially reducing food resource production by nearly 14%. This indicates that plastic pollution not only harms health but also threatens human survival. While the results only considered photosynthesis by excluding various factors affecting agricultural and fishery production, it has been assessed that there is confirmed evidence that microplastics negatively impact ecosystem production.
Professor Zhong Huan of Nanjing University and the research team noted on the 11th that "microplastic pollution decreases photosynthesis in the Earth's ecosystems, adversely affecting the production of crops and seafood." This research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles with a length or diameter of less than 5 mm, known to accumulate in the environment without natural degradation, adversely affecting humans and animals. In January, an international research team, including Duke University, released findings indicating that microplastics interfere with brain blood flow and can trigger blood clots.
The research team from Nanjing University analyzed 3,286 existing studies to examine the effects of microplastics on agricultural and marine ecosystems. The results showed that terrestrial plants exposed to microplastics experienced a 12.12% reduction in photosynthesis. The photosynthesis of algae decreased by 7.05%, and freshwater algae also saw a decrease of 9.24%.
This is due to the reduction of chlorophyll, which is responsible for photosynthesis. Both total chlorophyll and chlorophyll a content, crucial indicators of ecosystem primary productivity, showed a tendency to decrease. Primary productivity refers to the total amount of organic matter produced through photosynthesis; a decrease in this figure could potentially lower overall ecosystem productivity.
The research team used computer simulations to analyze the potential for microplastic pollution to lead to decreased production of crops and seafood. However, the figure was derived based solely on the impact of microplastics on photosynthesis, excluding various environmental factors affecting agricultural and fishery production.
According to simulation results, photosynthesis reductions due to microplastic pollution are expected to lead to a 4.11% to 13.52% decline in global major crop production. In particular, corn is expected to see a decrease in production of between 48.92 million and 161.58 million tons annually. The Asia region is predicted to account for about half of the total production decrease.
The research team predicted that microplastics would reduce the primary productivity of ecosystems, leading to an average decrease of 7.24% in the production of seafood, including fish and seaweed. This suggests that the inhibition of photosynthesis in phytoplankton and seaweeds could influence the food chain, leading to a decline in overall seafood production.
The research team warned that microplastic pollution could exacerbate global food insecurity. Chang Ho An, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), noted about this study that "as microplastics accumulate, they can interfere with light transmittance, negatively impacting photosynthesis," while acknowledging that "additional research is necessary to determine the specific effects on production."
References
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2423957122
Science Advances (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr8243