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Microbial metabolism in wormcast affected the perturbation on soil organic matter by microplastics under decabromodiphenyl ethane stress

Journal of Hazardous Materials 2025 4 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 58 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Mengru Fu, Mengru Fu, Yanna Han, Yanna Han, Mengru Fu, Yanna Han, Yanna Han, Yanna Han, Yanna Han, Mengru Fu, Yanna Han, Yanna Han, Zhiyong Zhang Yanna Han, Mengru Fu, Shanqi Zhou, Mengru Fu, Mengru Fu, Mengru Fu, Mengru Fu, Mengru Fu, Shanqi Zhou, Mengru Fu, Tianzi Liu, Zhiyong Zhang Mengru Fu, Mengru Fu, Yuhe Yang, Shanqi Zhou, Zhiyong Zhang Shanqi Zhou, Shanqi Zhou, Shanqi Zhou, Yuhe Yang, Yuhe Yang, Mengru Fu, Yuhe Yang, Shanqi Zhou, Zhiyong Zhang Tianzi Liu, Shanqi Zhou, Zhihua Qiao, Zhihua Qiao, Shanqi Zhou, Shanqi Zhou, Zhiyong Zhang Zhihua Qiao, Zhihua Qiao, Mengru Fu, Mengru Fu, Tianzi Liu, Tianzi Liu, Shanqi Zhou, Zhihua Qiao, Zhihua Qiao, Zhihua Qiao, Mengru Fu, Mengru Fu, Shanqi Zhou, Shanqi Zhou, Shanqi Zhou, Zhihua Qiao, Yanna Han, Shanqi Zhou, Yanna Han, Zhihua Qiao, Tianzi Liu, Shanqi Zhou, Zhihua Qiao, Yanna Han, Wang Ge-hui, Yanna Han, Zhihua Qiao, Wang Ge-hui, Peng Cheng, Zhiyong Zhang Peng Cheng, Wei Zhang, Zhiyong Zhang Wei Zhang, Zhiyong Zhang Zhiyong Zhang Zhiyong Zhang

Summary

Researchers examined how microplastics combined with a brominated flame retardant affect soil health through earthworm activity. They found that microplastics altered the microbial communities in earthworm castings, which in turn changed how soil organic matter was processed. The study suggests that co-pollution from microplastics and flame retardants can disrupt important soil ecosystem functions that depend on earthworm-microbe interactions.

Polymers

PE PLA

Models

Invertebrate other

Large-scale plastic wastes annually inevitably induce co-pollution of microplastics (MPs) and novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), while gaps remain concerning their effect on terrestrial function. We investigated the impact of polylactic acid (PLA) or polyethylene (PE) MPs after aging in soil-earthworm microcosms under decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) contamination. MPs altered the food (i.e. soil) of earthworms and affected cast composition, which in turn further affected soil function. After 28 days of exposure, MPs, especially UV-aged MPs, caused the significant enrichment of plastics-degrading bacteria and C/N cycling functions in wormcast, with increased dissolved organic matter consumption after co-exposure (1 % MPs accompanied by 10 mg kg DBDPE). Aging significantly affected soil carbon sequestration, while its effects varied depending on the types of MPs. Notably, soil organic matter was the most impactor affecting wormcast bacteria, highlighting the importance of earthworm's activity on soil carbon. In comparison, PLA-MPs induced stronger responses to the C/N cycling process based on its biodegradable property than PE-MPs, however, aging had a greater effect on PE-MPs due to the formation of oxygen molecules from nothing in the structure. This study expands our current understanding of the interactions of aged MPs and DBDPE in the terrestrial ecosystem. SYNOPSIS: This study highlighted that both MPs before and aging altered the bacterial communities in wormcast and further affected soil ecology during earthworm feeding and excretion.

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