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Exploring the toxicity of biodegradable microplastics and imidacloprid to earthworms (Eisenia fetida) from morphological and gut microbial perspectives
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Researchers found that biodegradable microplastics made from polylactic acid (PLA) combined with the pesticide imidacloprid caused more severe harm to earthworms than either pollutant alone, including higher death rates, tissue damage, and disrupted gut bacteria. This is concerning because PLA plastics are marketed as eco-friendly alternatives, yet they can still break down into harmful microplastics in soil. The study shows that biodegradable plastics may actually make pesticide contamination worse for soil organisms.
Biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) pose serious environmental problems to soil organisms, and their adsorption capacity might make pesticides more dangerous for soil organisms. Therefore, in this study, polylactic acid (PLA) BMPs and imidacloprid (IMI) were used as a representative of BMPs and pesticides, respectively. Eisenia fetida was used as a test animal to investigate the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of single and compound contaminated PLA BMPs and IMI on mortality, growth, number of offspring, tissue damage, and gut microorganisms of E.fetida. Exposure to PLA BMPs treatment and PLA BMPs + IMI treatment resulted in a sustained increase in E.fetida mortality, reaching 16.7% and 26.7%, respectively. The growth inhibition rate of single treatments was significantly increased. The compound contamination had the greatest effect on E.fetida offspring compared to the control. PLA BMPs and IMI cause histological damage to E.fetida, with the compound treatment causing the most severe damage. Based on the results of 16S sequencing, the bacterial communities in E.fetida gut and soil treated to PLA BMPs and IMI were significantly different. PLA BMPs + IMI treatment suppresses the abundance and diversity of E.fetida gut microorganisms, disrupting the homeostasis of bacterial communities and causing immune and metabolic dysfunction. These findings highlight the more severe damage of combined PLA BMPs and IMI pollution to E.fetida, and help to assess the risk of earthworm exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of PLA BMPs and IMI.
More Papers Like This
Oxidative stress and gene expression induced by biodegradable microplastics and imidacloprid in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) at environmentally relevant concentrations
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Researchers exposed earthworms to biodegradable microplastics made from polylactic acid (PLA), both alone and combined with a common pesticide. Both treatments caused oxidative stress and DNA damage, and the combined exposure was often more harmful than either pollutant alone. This study is important because it shows that even so-called biodegradable plastics can harm soil organisms and may interact with other agricultural chemicals to create greater environmental damage.
Biodegradable microplastics exert differential impacts from polyethylene on pesticide fate in soil-earthworm systems: insights into degradation selectivity and microbial mechanisms
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This study compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics affect pesticide behavior in soil with earthworms. Researchers found that PLA at high concentrations actually accelerated pesticide breakdown and increased the accumulation of pesticide byproducts in earthworms by up to 82%, while also causing oxidative stress and gut bacteria disruption, suggesting biodegradable plastics may pose their own set of environmental risks.
The combination of microplastics and glyphosate affects the microbiome of soil inhabitant Enchytraeus crypticus
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Researchers tested how microplastics and the common herbicide glyphosate affect soil health when present together. Biodegradable PLA plastic combined with glyphosate had the most damaging effects on both soil bacteria and the gut microbiome of soil worms, worse than conventional PET plastic. These results suggest that using biodegradable plastics alongside pesticides in agriculture may pose greater ecological risks than previously thought.
Combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and carbendazim on Eisenia fetida: A comprehensive ecotoxicological study
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Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the pesticide carbendazim on earthworms and found that the two pollutants together caused worse damage than either alone. The combined exposure led to growth problems, oxidative stress, and organ damage even at lower concentrations. Since earthworms are essential for soil health and microplastics and pesticides commonly co-exist in farmland, these findings suggest that agricultural soil contamination could have cascading effects on the food system.
Ecotoxicological effects of polyethylene microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) in tetracycline-contaminated soil: Oxidative stress, intestinal barrier damage, and metabolic reprogramming
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Scientists found that when microplastics and antibiotic residue (tetracycline) mix together in soil, they cause even more damage to earthworms than either pollutant alone — harming their gut tissue, disrupting their energy production, and overwhelming their natural defense systems. Since earthworms are a key indicator of soil health, and soil health underpins the food we grow, this suggests that the growing combo of plastic waste and antibiotic pollution in farmland could pose bigger risks to ecosystems (and potentially our food supply) than scientists previously realized by studying these pollutants separately.
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