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Effects of Microplastics and Cadmium on the Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): An Evaluation Using a Two-Sex Life Table
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Researchers found that when potato beetles were exposed to both microplastics and the toxic metal cadmium together, the damage to their survival and ability to reproduce was much worse than either pollutant alone. This matters because these same contaminants are building up in soil where our food grows, so understanding how they harm insects that eat plants helps us predict risks to our food supply and the environment.
This study utilized the age-stage, two-sex life table method to evaluate the toxic effects of polyethylene microplastics (PE, 300 mg/kg) and cadmium (Cd, 30 mg/kg), both individually and combined, on Leptinotarsa decemlineata. Compared to controls, all treatments significantly prolonged larval development and reduced survival, lifespan, and fecundity. The combined exposure (PE + Cd) exerted the strongest inhibition: the total pre-adult developmental duration (TPOP) increased by 18.8% (38.00 days), while the intrinsic growth rate (r) dropped by 59.0% to 0.0273 d−1. Additionally, the net reproduction rate (R0) and fecundity fell to their lowest levels (5.08 and 19.06, respectively), significantly lower than in single-treatment groups. Age-stage life expectancy analysis confirmed severe survival pressure in the combined group, evidenced by a 30% reduction in first-instar survival and a 14-day shortened adult lifespan. These findings demonstrate the synergistic toxicity of PE and Cd co-contamination, providing critical data for ecological risk assessment in the “soil–plant–herbivore” system and integrated pest management strategies.
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Effects of Exposure to Cadmium, Microplastics, and Their Mixture on Survival, Growth, Feeding, and Life History of Daphnia magna
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Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastics altered cadmium toxicity to Daphnia magna, finding that microplastic co-exposure modified cadmium bioavailability and affected survival, growth, feeding rates, and reproductive outcomes in this ecologically important species.
The interaction effects of degradable microplastics and Cd to Folsomia candida soil collembolan
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Researchers found that the combined exposure of degradable microplastics and cadmium to soil collembolans (Folsomia candida) produced interaction effects on soil organisms, demonstrating that co-occurring microplastics and heavy metals in real field soils can pose compounded risks to soil ecosystem health.
Physiological and histopathological effects of polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and their binary mixture in a ground beetle ( Blaps polychresta )
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Scientists fed ground beetles tiny plastic particles (the same types found in packaging and bottles) and found the plastics damaged their gut function and reproductive organs by triggering cell-damaging stress, with two plastic types combined causing even worse effects than either alone. While this study is on beetles, not humans, it's a warning sign: as microplastics build up in soil from litter and waste, they may be harming small creatures that are crucial to healthy ecosystems and food chains — and the "mixture effect" finding suggests real-world plastic pollution (which is rarely just one type) could be more harmful than lab studies testing single pl
Toxicological impacts of environmentally equivalent microplastics and cadmium co-exposure in tropical freshwater crab Sartoriana spinigera
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Scientists exposed freshwater crabs to microplastics and cadmium (a toxic metal) to see how these pollutants affect aquatic life, and found that the combination caused more harm than either one alone—damaging the crabs' liver-like organs, gills, and overall health. This matters because microplastics and heavy metals often mix together in real waterways, and this study shows their combined effects on animals we eventually eat may be worse than scientists previously realized when testing pollutants separately.
Single and combined chronic toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNP) and clothianidin on collembolans and enchytraeids
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Scientists tested how tiny plastic particles and a common pesticide affect soil creatures that are important for healthy ecosystems. They found that when these two pollutants are combined, they become more harmful than when alone - even at levels that seemed safe individually. This matters because humans are also exposed to both microplastics and pesticides in our food and environment, suggesting these combinations could pose greater health risks than we previously understood.
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