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Soil application of PE and PLA microplastics alter earthworm (Eisenia nordenskioldi) gut bacterial community and soil microbiome-metabolome dynamics

Environmental Pollution 2025 2 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 58 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Caide Huang, Siyuan Lu, Siyuan Lu, Siyuan Lu, Siyuan Lu, Siyuan Lu, Siyuan Lu, Siyuan Lu, Jiapan Lian, Jiapan Lian, Jiapan Lian, Jiapan Lian, Jiapan Lian, Robert W. Brown, Robert W. Brown, Davey L. Jones, Robert W. Brown, Davey L. Jones, Siyuan Lu, Siyuan Lu, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Caide Huang, Robert W. Brown, Robert W. Brown, Jiapan Lian, Mengya Chen, Davey L. Jones, Meiyan Li, Meiyan Li, Davey L. Jones, Robert W. Brown, Robert W. Brown, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Mengya Chen, Robert W. Brown, Donghui Wu Jiapan Lian, Mengya Chen, Mengya Chen, Jiapan Lian, Davey L. Jones, Robert W. Brown, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Jiapan Lian, Davey L. Jones, Siyuan Lu, Davey L. Jones, Jiapan Lian, Jiapan Lian, Jiapan Lian, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Caide Huang, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Robert W. Brown, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Jiapan Lian, Donghui Wu Donghui Wu Donghui Wu Robert W. Brown, Davey L. Jones, Robert W. Brown, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Jiapan Lian, Jiapan Lian, Davey L. Jones, Robert W. Brown, Donghui Wu Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Jiapan Lian, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Donghui Wu Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Donghui Wu Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Davey L. Jones, Donghui Wu

Summary

Researchers compared the effects of conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics on earthworm gut bacteria and soil ecosystems over 120 days. They found that polyethylene had a more significant impact on soil microbial communities and metabolic processes than PLA at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study highlights that both types of microplastics can alter soil ecosystems, but conventional plastics may pose greater ecological risks.

Polymers

PE PLA

Models

Invertebrate other

Non-biodegradable polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA)pose potential risks to soil ecosystems. However, there is a lack of in-depth studies to fully understand the ecological toxicity of these two types of microplastics (MPs) on soil microbiomes and their underlying mechanisms. Therefore, this study investigated the ecological risks of PE and PLA at environmentally relevant concentrations over a 120-day microcosm experiment, utilizing 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and untargeted soil metabolomics analysis. The results suggest that, compared to PLA, PE had a more significant impact on both earthworm gut and soil bacteria. PE significantly reduced the Shannon diversity index of the earthworm gut microbiome and decreased the relative abundance of Actinomycetota in soil by 5.79 % compared to control, while PLA exhibited a more pronounced interaction with soil metabolites. The introduction of MPs disrupted multiple metabolic pathways, significantly reducing the abundance of lipids, carbohydrates, and amino acids-key components closely associated with the multifunctionality of soil ecosystems. These metabolites were significantly negatively correlated with soil dissolved organic carbon levels. Two genera involved in the degradation of MPs, Paenibacillus and Acinetobacter, were identified in the earthworm gut after MPs exposure. Partial least squares path modeling analysis revealed that MPs addition was negatively correlated with the levels of lipids, carbohydrates, and amino acids. Overall, this study may provide valuable insights into assessing the impact of pollutants on soil health and offers important evidence for evaluating the ecological risks to soil ecosystems.

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