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Virgin and Photoaged Polyethylene Microplastics Have Different Effects on Collembola and Enchytraeids
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Researchers compared how virgin and UV-aged polyethylene microplastics affect two types of small soil organisms at environmentally relevant concentrations. They found contrasting responses between species: one type showed reduced survival but increased reproduction with aged particles, while another showed the opposite pattern. The study highlights that microplastic aging and species differences both matter when assessing the ecological impact of plastic pollution in soils.
Wariness is increasing about resident times of microplastics (MPs) in soils; however, limited knowledge is available on ultraviolet (UV) light exposure of MPs to soil fauna. This study investigated the effects of virgin and photoaged polyethylene microplastics (PE MPs) on soil mesofauna (enchytraeids and collembolans) at environmentally relevant concentrations in a microcosm incubation experiment. Ten individuals of each Enchytraeus crypticus and Folsomia candida and twenty Proisotoma minuta were exposed separately to virgin and photoaged PE MPs (40–48 μm) admixed in agricultural soil (0.2–2000 mg/kg) to evaluate reproduction and survival. After 28 d of exposure to photoaged PE MPs, there was a moderate survival reduction but reproduction promotion of E. crypticus. Contrastingly, F. candida exhibited an opposite trend, with survival enhancement and reproduction depression rates when exposed to both PE MP contaminated soils. However, P. minuta was the only species with significant apical endpoint changes after PE MP exposure; at 20 mg/kg photoaged and 2000 mg/kg virgin PE MP exposure, there was a 34% and 31% decrease in survival, respectively, and at 200 mg/kg photoaged PE MP exposure, an increase of 39% for reproduction. PE MPs had contrasting impacts on soil mesofauna species, which highlights the need to account for these variable results when understanding the repercussions of MP pollution on community assemblage and population dynamics in soils.
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Microplastics - Back to Reality: Impact of Pristine and Aged Microplastics in Soil on Earthworm Eisenia fetida under Environmentally Relevant Conditions
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Researchers compared the effects of new versus sunlight-aged polyethylene microplastics on earthworms at real-world contamination levels, finding that aged particles caused more harm. The aged microplastics accumulated more in earthworm guts, caused greater tissue damage, and shifted gut bacteria away from beneficial species toward harmful ones. This is significant because most microplastics in the environment have been aged by sunlight, meaning their actual impact on soil health and the food chain may be worse than lab studies using fresh plastics suggest.
The impact of microplastic on nematodes: Soil type, plastic amount and aging as determinants for the fitness of Caenorhabditis elegans
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Researchers tested how two types of microplastics, conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PLA/PBAT, affected tiny soil worms called nematodes across different soil types. Conventional plastic at high concentrations reduced worm reproduction and growth, while the biodegradable plastic caused no harm. Importantly, as microplastics aged in the soil over time, their negative effects worsened, suggesting the long-term impact of plastic pollution in agricultural soil may be greater than short-term studies indicate.
Influence of aged and pristine polyethylene microplastics on bioavailability of three heavy metals in soil: Toxic effects to earthworms (Eisenia fetida)
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Researchers studied how aging affects the ability of polyethylene microplastics to influence the bioavailability of zinc, lead, and cadmium in soil, and the resulting toxicity to earthworms. The study found that aged microplastics had different adsorption properties for heavy metals compared to pristine particles, which altered the bioavailability of these metals and affected earthworm health differently depending on microplastic concentration and aging status.
Aging reduces the negative effect of low-density polyethylene microplastics on soil-plant-microbial systems
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This study compared the effects of original and UV-aged low-density polyethylene microplastics at two particle sizes on soil properties, plant performance, and microbial communities. Aging reduced the negative impacts of LDPE microplastics, suggesting that environmental weathering partially mitigates the harm these particles cause to soil-plant-microbe systems.
Aging in soil increases the disturbance of microplastics to the gut microbiota of soil fauna
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Researchers compared how fresh versus soil-aged microplastics affect the gut bacteria of small soil-dwelling worms called enchytraeids. They found that microplastics that had aged in soil for several months caused significantly greater disruption to the animals' gut microbiome than fresh particles. The aging process released chemical additives and encouraged biofilm growth on the plastic surfaces, making aged microplastics more biologically active and potentially more harmful to soil organisms.
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