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An Evaluation of the Quantitative Concentration of Microplastic in Dendrobaena veneta and Lumbricus terrestris Tissues from Laboratory and Environmental Cultures
Summary
Researchers exposed two earthworm species (Dendrobaena veneta and Lumbricus terrestris) to mixed microplastics at different concentrations in laboratory and environmental cultures and measured MP accumulation in tissues using FTIR and fluorescence. Both species accumulated MPs in tissues with significant polymer content confirmed, and digestive enzyme activity caused observable structural changes to the plastic particles.
Earthworms play a key role in maintaining a healthy soil ecosystem by providing organic matter cycling and influencing the soil’s structure and physicochemical properties. In addition, they have also become the subject of research in the context of soil contamination by plastic particles or microplastics. In this article, two species of earthworms, Dendrobaena veneta and Lumbricus terrestris, were subjected to the influence of a mixed fraction of microplastics at different concentrations and studied to determine the possible correlation in tissue accumulation and to illustrate the possible structural changes in plastics under the influence of earthworm digestive enzymes. Using FTIR spectrometry and plastic fluorescence, the polymer content of the earthworm tissues was determined, and significant differences in the accumulation of plastic particles in the cultured earthworm tissues at the micro- and macroscales were documented.