Terrestrial ecologists should stop ignoring plastic pollution in the Anthropocene time

The massive production of plastic started in mid 20th century. Today, only 60 years later and despite its obvious benefits, plastic pollution is ubiquitous, influencing all global environments and the planet's biota, including human-well-being. Plastic pollution may interact with other global change drivers, having large-scale, remote and long-lasting effects. Here we highlight that plastic pollution should be considered a main topic for global change research in the 21st century, especially among terrestrial ecologists at understudied continental regions such as South America. [Display omitted] •The massive production of plastic started in mid-20th century.•Today, plastic pollution influence all global environments and biota, including human-well-being.•Plastic pollution may interact with other global change drivers such as biological invasions.•Plastic pollution should be a main topic for terrestrial ecologists in the 21st century in regions such as South America.