Raw data for: Terrestrial isopods as biotic generators of microplastics following chronic exposure to weathered low-density polyethylene

The deposited data is raw data collected for the study titled Terrestrial isopods as biotic generators of microplastics following chronic exposure to weathered low-density polyethylene. Terrestrial ecosystem function is driven in no small part by organisms that serve a vital role in the cycling of nutrients within. With increasing concern around the fate of microplastics in our environments, it is important to assess the direct and indirect impacts this can have on the overall function of these ecosystems. Vital to healthy ecosystem function, detritivores such as isopods and springtails contribute significantly to cycling decaying organic matter back into available nutrients for soil leaf litter systems. This study investigated the fate and impact of microplastics on three species of isopods (Porcellio laevis, Porcellio scaber, and Porcellionides pruinosus) through exposure to weathered low-density polyethylene. Isopods were given a polyethylene foam fragment that had been weathered in a soil solution for three days. All three species of isopod foraged on the fragment of polyethylene over the 28 days of the experiment to produce microplastics (min.-max. values: P. laevis = 88.3 - 1676.0 µm; P. scaber = 82.5 - 940.4 µm; and P. pruinosus = 75.0 - 823.1 µm) over the 28 days of the experiment. The mean size of microplastics generated by the isopods varied significantly among the three species and there was a positive correlation between mean size of microplastics produced and the size of species. The number of microplastics produced each week was not significantly different among the species, but the number of microplastics produced by P. scaber and P. pruinosus did significantly differ across the weeks. There was also no significant difference in the total number of microplastics produced over 28 days among the three species.