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Soil fauna Protaetia brevitarsis mediated polyethylene microplastic biodegradation

The Science of The Total Environment 2025 2 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 48 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Defu He, Wei‐Min Wu Defu He, Defu He, Jie Jiang, Qiang Hu, Jie Jiang, Jie Jiang, Defu He, Defu He, Yan Qi, Defu He, Wei‐Min Wu Yan Liu, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Defu He, Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Xuelong Cao, Wei‐Min Wu Qiang Hu, Defu He, Defu He, Defu He, Defu He, Xuelong Cao, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Defu He, Yan Qi, Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Yan Qi, Defu He, Wei‐Min Wu J-Y Zhuang, Defu He, Defu He, Defu He, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Jie Jiang, J-Y Zhuang, Defu He, Xuelong Cao, Wei‐Min Wu Xuelong Cao, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Defu He, Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Defu He, Jie Jiang, Jie Jiang, Jie Jiang, Defu He, Defu He, Defu He, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Defu He, Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Jie Jiang, Defu He, Defu He, Defu He, Defu He, Wei‐Min Wu Defu He, Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Defu He, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Defu He, Defu He, Defu He, Wei‐Min Wu Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu Wei‐Min Wu Defu He, Defu He, Defu He, Jie Jiang, Wei‐Min Wu

Summary

Researchers found that larvae of the beetle Protaetia brevitarsis can biodegrade polyethylene microplastics in soil, with gut microbiome analysis revealing specific bacterial communities responsible for PE degradation, suggesting potential for insect-mediated plastic bioremediation.

Polymers

Polyethylene (PE) microplastics (MPs), derived primarily from agricultural mulch films and other plastic debris, remain significant soil contaminants due to their resistance to degradation. This study reveals that soil-dwelling grubs (Protaetia brevitarsis larvae) possess a unique ability to degrade PE MPs with ultrahigh molecular weight (> 600 kDa) through synergistic interactions with gut microbes. Over a 28-day experimental period, the larvae consumed an average of 62.96 mg PE per grub daily, resulting in 28.6 % mass reduction of ingested PE-MPs. Molecular analyses of frass-residue MPs showed a 52.9 % decrease in weight-average molecular weight and oxidative functionalization (hydroxyl/carbonyl formation), while thermal profiles revealed biodegradation-specific byproducts, confirming extensive depolymerization. Antibiotic suppression delineated gut microbial contributions to PE-MPs degradation. Concurrently, gut microbiota restructured into Enterococcaceae-dominated consortia specialized in breaking down the polymers. Unlike previously studied surface-dwelling insects, P. brevitarsis naturally inhabits agricultural soil strata where plastic mulch residues accumulate, enabling in situ remediation without nutritional supplementation while maintaining physiological resilience through sustained survival rate and growth. Overall, we demonstrate PE-MP biodegradation by P. brevitarsis for the first time, illustrating the degradation mechanism mediated by both the host and gut microbiota. These results highlight P. brevitarsis as natural bioremediators for agricultural PE-MP pollution, presenting a sustainable approach to mitigate persistent microplastics with minimal ecological risks.

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