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Soil application of PE and PLA microplastics alter earthworm (Eisenia nordenskioldi) gut bacterial community and soil microbiome-metabolome dynamics
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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.
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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Effects of conventional versus biodegradable microplastic exposure on oxidative stress and gut microorganisms in earthworms: A comparison with two different soils
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Researchers compared the toxic effects of conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics on earthworms in two different soil types. Both types of microplastic caused oxidative stress and altered gut microbiota in earthworms, with toxicity increasing at higher concentrations. The study found that microplastic concentration was more important than the type of plastic or soil in determining the level of harm, and that biodegradable plastics were not necessarily safer for soil organisms.
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.
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 comparison effect on earthworms between conventional and biodegradable microplastics
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Researchers compared the effects of conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics on earthworms over an extended exposure period. They found that biodegradable microplastics caused comparable or even greater harm than conventional plastics at certain concentrations, including reduced growth and reproduction. The findings challenge the assumption that biodegradable plastics are inherently safer for soil organisms.
Biodegradable and conventional microplastics exhibit distinct microbiome, functionality, and metabolome changes in soil
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Researchers compared the effects of conventional plastics (polyethylene and polystyrene) and biodegradable plastics (polylactide and polybutylene succinate) on soil microbial communities. They found that both types of microplastics significantly altered soil microbial composition, but biodegradable microplastics had a more pronounced impact on soil metabolic function and microbial activity than conventional ones.
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