Articles | Volume 23, issue 20
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7577-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7577-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
28 Oct 2026
Research article |
| 28 Oct 2026
| 28 Oct 2026
Liquid polymer enhances methanogenesis and restructures prokaryotic communities in freshwater sediments
Alexander Feckler
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
Eric Bollinger
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
Alexandra Unik
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
Peter Mueller
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
Sabine Filker
Department of Ecology, RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Kaiserslautern, Germany
Christian Plicht
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
Zacharias Steinmetz
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
Mirco Bundschuh
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
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Catrina Gore, Peter Mueller, Mark Chapman, Franck Dal Molin, Gerhard Schmiedl, Yvonne Milker, Lisa Benson, and Stefanie Nolte
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1559, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1559, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Various chemical and physical analyses were performed with mud samples from four restored UK saltmarshes to determine the origin of the organic matter (OM) present. The plants growing on the marsh could have supplied the OM or it could have been washed in by the tides from other ecosystems. In the restored marshes much of the OM came from the latter source and by making comparisons with existing data from natural saltmarshes, it was determined that this was not true of these sites.
Zacharias Steinmetz, Paul Löffler, Silvia Eichhöfer, Jan David, Katherine Muñoz, and Gabriele E. Schaumann
SOIL, 8, 31–47, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-31-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-31-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
To scrutinize the contribution of agricultural plastic covers to plastic pollution, we quantified soil-associated plastic debris (≤ 2 mm) in and around agricultural fields covered with different plastics. PP fleeces and 50 µm thick PE films did not emit significant amounts of plastic debris into soil during their 4-month use. However, thinner and perforated PE foils (40 µm) were associated with elevated PE contents of up to 35 mg kg−1. Their long-term use may thus favor plastic accumulation.
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Short summary
Synthetic water-soluble plastics are widely used, yet their effects on lake and river sediments remain unclear. We investigated polyvinylpyrrolidone by exposing freshwater sediments and monitoring methane production and microbial communities for 56 d under oxygen-free conditions. The plastic caused earlier and greater methane release and shifted bacterial populations, particularly those feeding methane producers.
Synthetic water-soluble plastics are widely used, yet their effects on lake and river sediments...
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