Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Environmental Sources Marine & Wildlife Sign in to save

Exploring the impacts of plastics in soil – The effects of polyester textile fibers on soil invertebrates

The Science of The Total Environment 2019 266 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 55 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Salla Selonen, Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Rachel Hurley Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Tina Skalar, Tina Skalar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Tina Skalar, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Andraž Dolar, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley Andraž Dolar, Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Salla Selonen, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Andraž Dolar, Salla Selonen, Andraž Dolar, Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Tina Skalar, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Tina Skalar, Tina Skalar, Tina Skalar, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley Anita Jemec Kokalj, Tina Skalar, Tina Skalar, Andraž Dolar, Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Tina Skalar, Rachel Hurley Anita Jemec Kokalj, Salla Selonen, Andraž Dolar, Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Tina Skalar, Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Andraž Dolar, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Tina Skalar, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Andraž Dolar, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Andraž Dolar, Rachel Hurley Lidia Parramon Dolcet, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Rachel Hurley Anita Jemec Kokalj, Lidia Parramon Dolcet, Andraž Dolar, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Tina Skalar, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Salla Selonen, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley Anita Jemec Kokalj, Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley Tina Skalar, Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Rachel Hurley Andraž Dolar, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Rachel Hurley Salla Selonen, Andraž Dolar, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Rachel Hurley Anita Jemec Kokalj, Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Salla Selonen, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Salla Selonen, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Anita Jemec Kokalj, Rachel Hurley Andraž Dolar, Andraž Dolar, Rachel Hurley Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Salla Selonen, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Cornelis A.M. van Gestel, Rachel Hurley

Summary

Researchers tested the effects of short and long polyester fibers on four species of soil invertebrates including worms, springtails, and mites. They found that overall effects were slight, though enchytraeid worm reproduction decreased by up to 30% with increasing concentrations of long fibers, and isopod energy reserves were affected. The study indicates that while polyester microfibers are not highly toxic to soil organisms in the short term, they are ingested and could pose risks at higher environmental concentrations.

Body Systems

Reproductive

Study Type Environmental

Polyester fiber is one of the most abundant types of microplastics in the environment. A major proportion of the fibers entering wastewater treatment plants end up in sewage sludge, which is used as a soil fertilizer in many countries. As their impacts in the terrestrial environment are still poorly understood, we studied the effects of polyester fibers on enchytraeids (Enchytraeus crypticus), springtails (Folsomia candida), isopods (Porcellio scaber) and oribatid mites (Oppia nitens), all playing an important role in soil decomposer food webs. We exposed these invertebrates in the laboratory to short (12 µm-2.87 mm) and long (4-24 mm) polyester fibers, spiked in soil or in food at five concentrations ranging from 0.02% to 1.5% (w/w) and using five replicates. Overall the effects of polyester fibers on the soil invertebrates were slight. Energy reserves of the isopods were slightly affected by both fiber types, and enchytraeid reproduction decreased up to 30% with increasing fiber concentration, but only for long fibers in soil. The low ingestion of long fibers by the enchytraeids suggests that this negative impact arose from a physical harm outside the organism, or from indirect effects resulting from changes in environmental conditions. The short fibers were clearly ingested by enchytraeids and isopods, with the rate of ingestion positively related to fiber concentration in the soil. This study shows that polyester fibers are not very harmful to soil invertebrates upon short-term exposure. However, longer lasting, multigeneration studies with functional endpoints are needed to reveal the possible long-term effects on soil invertebrates and their role in the decomposition process. This study also shows that polyester fibers can enter terrestrial food web via ingestion of fibers by soil invertebrates.

Read via DOI PubMed Download PDF

Share this paper

Post Share Share Pin Email