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Ecosystem services provision by earthworms in agroecosystem
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This review of existing studies finds that earthworms do far more than aerate soil, they help clean up pollutants, including breaking down harmful microplastics in farmland. However, common conventional farming practices often harm earthworm populations, meaning the way we farm could be undermining a natural tool for reducing microplastic contamination in our food system.
Earthworms have many roles in agricultural ecosystems. They provide various ecosystem services. Identifying these services can help to preserve them. This paper presents the first study to demonstrate that ecosystem services provision by earthworms in agroecosystems has important implications for the design of sustainable agricultural systems, as it can help create more efficient systems for high ecosystem service provision. We investigated the services of earthworms in agroecosystems through a systematic literature review. For this purpose, scientific databases such as Science Direct and Scopus were used to gather publications from 2000 to 2024, which were then examined and categorized. In this study, all earthworm-related services, functions, and benefits in agroecosystems were gathered and categorized using the proposed framework of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA). Direct and indirect benefits from earthworms are known as ecosystem services. This term was popularized by MEA. We developed a modified framework based on MEA, and then divided the services/benefits into four categories. The results showed that 73.91% of services belonged to regulating services and 13.04% of them included supporting services. Among regulating services, soil-related services were more important. We also observed 11 services/benefits that are indirectly obtained from earthworm services . One of the important services of earthworms is to remove pollutants from the environment. Findings show that earthworms have a valuable role in reducing the negative impact of microplastics. Also, the results showed that agricultural activities can affect the provision of ecosystem services by earthworms. Most of the agricultural activities in the conventional farming systems have negative effects on the provision of services by earthworms. Our results showed that most of the earthworm services are related to the environment and soil components of agroecosystem.
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Microplastics in Agricultural Soil: Fate, Impacts, and Bioremediation by Earthworms
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This review examines how microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils and the role earthworms may play in breaking them down. Researchers found that microplastics can harm soil health by disrupting microbial communities, enzyme activity, and nutrient availability, but that earthworms can enhance microplastic degradation through their digestive processes and the microorganisms in their gut. The study suggests that earthworm-based bioremediation could be a practical strategy for reducing microplastic contamination in farmland.
Earthworm-Microplastic Interactions: Revealing the Feasibility and Obstacles of Utilizing Earthworms to Maintain the Health of Microplastic-Contaminated Soils
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Scientists reviewed existing research and found that earthworms might help clean up tiny plastic pieces (called microplastics) in farm soil by breaking them down in their stomachs and through helpful bacteria in their guts. This matters because microplastics in soil can harm the food we grow, but using earthworms as natural cleaners faces major challenges and needs much more research before it could actually work on farms. The earthworm method shows promise but isn't ready to solve our plastic pollution problem yet.
Earthworms As An Emerging Biotechnological Intervention in the Mitigation of Microplastics
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This review explores the emerging role of earthworms as biological agents for degrading microplastics in soil environments. Researchers found that earthworm gut microflora and mucous secretions actively contribute to breaking down plastic polymers through enzymatic depolymerization. The study suggests that earthworm-mediated biodegradation could be a promising biotechnological approach for mitigating microplastic contamination in terrestrial ecosystems.
Microplastic-Earthworm Interactions: A Critical Review
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This critical review examines how microplastics from diverse plastic waste categories accumulate in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and interact with earthworms, a key soil organism. The authors synthesize evidence on the deleterious effects of increasing microplastic concentrations on soil properties, microbiota, and earthworm physiology.
Earthworm Casting Drives Soil Microplastic Upward Transport and the Formation of Biogenic Polymer Aggregates
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Scientists found that earthworms are moving tiny plastic particles (microplastics) from deeper soil up to the surface, where crops grow, and breaking them into even smaller pieces in the process. The earthworms also create conditions that help beneficial bacteria break down these plastics over time. This matters because it could affect how much plastic contamination gets into our food supply, though more research is needed to understand the full health implications.
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