Soil Litter Feeders Impacted by Low Concentrations of Microplastics. The Case of Earthworms, Ants and Slugs in the MINAGRIS PROJECT

Effects of Micro-Nanoplastics Exposure to Earthworms in the Soil System

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Researchers investigated how micro- and nanoplastic exposure affects earthworms in soil systems, examining toxicity mechanisms and interactions with co-occurring heavy metals and other contaminants. The findings indicate that MNP contamination can impair soil productivity and earthworm health, threatening the foundation of terrestrial food webs.

Microplastics in agricultural soils: Impacts on soil microbial communities, nutrient cycling, earthworm health, and soil ecosystem functions

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This review pulls together existing research showing that tiny plastic bits building up in farm soil, from sources like plastic mulch and sewage sludge, are harming the soil itself, disrupting the microbes and earthworms that keep it healthy and fertile. This matters because damaged soil means reduced crop growth and food security over time, and these same microplastics can carry harmful chemicals and heavy metals that may end up in our food, water, and air. The researchers stress that without action to reduce plastic pollution now, the damage to farmland could become permanent.

Experimental Exposure of Lumbricus terrestris to Microplastics

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Researchers exposed common earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) to soil containing microplastics at concentrations up to 7% by weight and found that while earthworms did not avoid contaminated soil, microplastics caused physical lesions on mucus membranes, elevated acetylcholinesterase levels indicating neurotoxic stress, and particle accumulation throughout the gastrointestinal tract.

Microplastic in Soil Ecosystem: Transition and Ecological Impacts

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This review examined how microplastics transition through soil ecosystems, alter soil structure, affect microbial communities, and impact plant health and agricultural productivity. Soil microplastic contamination is a growing threat to food security because it degrades the biological systems that underpin crop growth while simultaneously introducing chemical additives into the root zone where they can be taken up by edible plants.

Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems and their effects on macroinvertebrates