Corrigendum to “Earthworms mediate the influence of polyethylene (PE) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics on soil bacterial communities” [Sci. Total Environ., Volume 905, 20 December 2023, 166959]

Correction to: Effect of Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics on Bacterial Community and Nutrient Status in Two Agricultural Soils

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This is a correction notice for a previously published study on how polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect soil bacterial communities and nutrient levels, fixing mislabeled bacterial groups in one figure. The underlying finding — that PVC microplastics alter soil microbial communities — remains valid.

Correction to “Soil biota modulate the effects of microplastics on biomass and diversity of plant communities”

Earthworms mediate the influence of polyethylene (PE) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics on soil bacterial communities

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Researchers studied how earthworms interact with both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PLA microplastics in soil over 120 days. Both types of microplastics changed the composition of soil bacterial communities, but in different ways, and earthworms appeared to mediate these effects by consuming bacteria or altering soil conditions. The findings show that even biodegradable plastics disrupt soil ecosystems, and that soil organisms play a complex role in how microplastics affect the underground environment.

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.

The Possibility of Microplastic Removal by Earthworms and Comparing With Conventional Chemical Removal Methods (A Global and Deeply Systematic Review)

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Researchers reviewed chemical and biological strategies for microplastic removal, finding that certain earthworm species can absorb and decompose microplastic particles within weeks, offering a potentially low-cost biological alternative to conventional chemical removal methods.