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Enhancing microplastic removal and nitrogen mitigation in constructed wetlands: An earthworm-centric perspective
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Researchers added earthworms to constructed wetlands and found they significantly improved the removal of biodegradable microplastics and nitrogen pollutants from wastewater. The earthworms reshaped their gut microbial communities in ways that boosted both plastic degradation and nitrogen cycling, increasing microplastic removal by 13.5 percent. The findings suggest that incorporating earthworms into wetland treatment systems could offer a natural, low-cost approach to improving water quality.
The presence of microplastics (MPs) in wastewater poses significant threats to ecosystems. Although constructed wetlands (CWs) demonstrate effective removal of microplastics, their efficiency is often limited by various environmental variables and system equilibrium factors. This study introduces Eisenia fetida to enhance the ecological performance of constructed wetlands and improves their removal efficiency. The findings revealed that the addition of earthworms significantly increased the removal efficiencies of polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen, with respective improvements of 13.5 %, 8.4 %, 9.7 %, and 10.5 %, respectively. Notably, the ingestion of polylactic acid microplastics by earthworms led to a substantial increase in the abundance of microorganisms, such as Actinobacteria, that were associated with microplastic degradation. Furthermore, microbial communities involved in nitrogen cycling were notably enriched, with a 12.4 % increase in nitrogen-fixing microbes and a 4.3 % increase in nitrifying microbes. These findings suggested that earthworms, through the restructuring of their gut microbial communities, not only facilitated efficient polylactic acid degradation but also enhanced nitrogen cycling processes. This provides a novel ecological mechanism for improving pollutant management and nutrient recycling in constructed wetlands.
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Critical role of benthic fauna in enhancing nanoplastics removal in constructed wetland: Performance, fate and mechanism
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Researchers found that adding benthic fauna such as clams and worms to constructed wetlands significantly improved the removal of nanoplastics from wastewater. The organisms enhanced microbial activity and biofilm formation, which helped trap and break down the tiny plastic particles more effectively. The study suggests that incorporating natural organisms into wetland treatment systems could be a practical strategy for addressing nanoplastic pollution.
Oligochaete-driven resilience: Mitigating microplastic toxicity in constructed wetlands through integrated plant-microbe responses
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Microplastic pollution can weaken the ability of constructed wetlands (engineered systems that use plants and microbes to clean wastewater) to filter out nitrogen and phosphorus, but this study found that adding small worms called Tubifex tubifex helped the system bounce back and clean water more effectively. This matters because these wetlands are used to treat wastewater before it reaches rivers and drinking water sources, so finding low-tech ways to keep them working well despite microplastic contamination could help protect water quality for communities that rely on them.
Fragmentation and depolymerization of microplastics in the earthworm gut: A potential for microplastic bioremediation?
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Researchers explored whether earthworms can break down microplastics in soil by passing them through their digestive systems. They found that earthworms fragmented and partially broke down polyethylene and biodegradable plastic particles, reducing their size and altering their chemical structure. This suggests earthworms could play a role in naturally reducing microplastic contamination in soil, though more research is needed to understand whether the smaller fragments pose their own risks.
Earthworms alleviate microplastics stress on soil microbial and protist communities
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Researchers found that earthworms can help alleviate the negative effects of microplastic pollution on soil microbial and protist communities. In microcosm experiments, soils with earthworms showed more resilient bacterial, fungal, and protist communities when exposed to both conventional and biodegradable microplastics. The study suggests that soil macrofauna play an important role in buffering ecosystems against the disruptive effects of microplastic contamination.
Earthworms mitigate drought effects on microbial decomposition of straw under varying microplastic conditions
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Researchers found that earthworms could partially offset the negative effects of both biodegradable and non-degradable microplastics on microbial straw decomposition during drought conditions in Loess Plateau soils, primarily by modifying soil physical properties and microbial community composition.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.