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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Aging in soil increases the disturbance of microplastics to the gut microbiota of soil fauna
ClearEffects of farmland residual mulch film-derived microplastics on the structure and function of soil and earthworm Metaphire guillelmi gut microbiota
This study examined how microplastics from agricultural plastic mulch films affect soil and earthworm gut bacteria. Researchers found that aged microplastics from used farm films had different effects on microbial communities compared to new plastic particles, disrupting the normal bacterial networks in both soil and earthworm digestive systems.
Microplastics - Back to Reality: Impact of Pristine and Aged Microplastics in Soil on Earthworm Eisenia fetida under Environmentally Relevant Conditions
Researchers compared the effects of new versus sunlight-aged polyethylene microplastics on earthworms at real-world contamination levels, finding that aged particles caused more harm. The aged microplastics accumulated more in earthworm guts, caused greater tissue damage, and shifted gut bacteria away from beneficial species toward harmful ones. This is significant because most microplastics in the environment have been aged by sunlight, meaning their actual impact on soil health and the food chain may be worse than lab studies using fresh plastics suggest.
Freeze-thaw aging increases the toxicity of microplastics to earthworms and enriches pollutant-degrading microbial genera
This study found that microplastics aged by freeze-thaw cycles, which happen naturally in cold climates, became more toxic to earthworms than fresh microplastics. The aged particles caused more oxidative stress and disrupted the worms' gut bacteria and metabolism. Since earthworms are essential for soil health and agriculture, this increased toxicity could affect the quality of soil used to grow food.
Influence of aged and pristine polyethylene microplastics on bioavailability of three heavy metals in soil: Toxic effects to earthworms (Eisenia fetida)
Researchers studied how aging affects the ability of polyethylene microplastics to influence the bioavailability of zinc, lead, and cadmium in soil, and the resulting toxicity to earthworms. The study found that aged microplastics had different adsorption properties for heavy metals compared to pristine particles, which altered the bioavailability of these metals and affected earthworm health differently depending on microplastic concentration and aging status.
Microplastics exert minor influence on bacterial community succession during the aging of earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) casts
Researchers exposed earthworms to three types of microplastics commonly used in agricultural films and found that while microplastics altered some soil chemistry during gut passage, they had only minor effects on the overall bacterial communities in earthworm castings over 180 days. This suggests that earthworm gut microbiomes may be resilient enough to buffer the impact of agricultural microplastic contamination under the conditions tested.
The effects of high-density polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics on the soil and earthworm Metaphire guillelmi gut microbiota
Researchers exposed earthworms to soil amended with high-density polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics for 28 days and examined changes in both the earthworm gut and soil microbial communities. They found that both types of microplastics significantly altered the composition and diversity of gut bacteria in the earthworms. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in soil can disrupt the gut microbiota of soil organisms, with potential consequences for soil ecosystem health.
Time-dependent effects of microplastics on soil bacteriome
Researchers studied how six common types of microplastics affect soil bacteria over time at realistic contamination levels. The effects were slow to appear due to the chemical stability of plastics, but over time, microplastics altered bacterial community structure and soil functions in ways that differed by plastic type. This matters because changes to soil bacteria can affect nutrient cycling and crop health, with potential downstream effects on food quality.
Microplastics impact the accumulation of metals in earthworms by changing the gut bacterial communities
Researchers exposed earthworms to three sizes of polystyrene microplastics (0.1, 10, and 100 micrometers) to study effects on metal accumulation and gut bacteria. The study found that microplastics reduced nickel and lead accumulation in earthworms while significantly altering gut bacterial communities. The results suggest that microplastics influence heavy metal bioavailability in soil organisms by changing gut microbiome composition.
Virgin and Photoaged Polyethylene Microplastics Have Different Effects on Collembola and Enchytraeids
Researchers compared how virgin and UV-aged polyethylene microplastics affect two types of small soil organisms at environmentally relevant concentrations. They found contrasting responses between species: one type showed reduced survival but increased reproduction with aged particles, while another showed the opposite pattern. The study highlights that microplastic aging and species differences both matter when assessing the ecological impact of plastic pollution in soils.
Effects of photoaging on structure and characteristics of biofilms on microplastic in soil: Biomass and microbial community
Scientists studied how sunlight aging changes the way bacteria colonize microplastics in soil, finding that weathered plastics attracted different bacterial communities than fresh plastics. Aged microplastics initially supported less biofilm growth but developed bacteria with greater ability to break down carbon compounds. This research helps explain how microplastics behave differently in real-world soil conditions versus lab settings, which matters for understanding how plastics affect agricultural land and the food grown in it.
Co-exposure to UV-aged microplastics and cadmium induces intestinal toxicity and metabolic responses in earthworms
This study found that UV-aged microplastics (the kind that naturally degrade in sunlight) are more harmful than fresh microplastics when combined with the heavy metal cadmium in soil. Aging changed the microplastics' surface, making them better at absorbing cadmium and delivering it to earthworms, causing more gut damage and metabolic disruption. This highlights that weathered microplastics in the real environment may pose greater risks than lab studies using new plastic particles suggest.
Earthworms Exposed to Polyethylene and Biodegradable Microplastics in Soil: Microplastic Characterization and Microbial Community Analysis
Researchers exposed earthworms to biodegradable and conventional polyethylene microplastics in natural soil and found that worms ingested both types. The biodegradable plastic showed signs of partial breakdown in the earthworm gut, while conventional polyethylene remained unchanged. Although microplastics did not significantly alter the soil or gut microbiome in this study, the results confirm that earthworms transport microplastics through soil ecosystems.
Changes in bacterial community structures in soil caused by migration and aging of microplastics
A 90-day soil column experiment tracked the downward migration of polystyrene and polypropylene microplastics through soil layers, finding that MPs moved progressively deeper over time while undergoing surface chemical changes including increased hydrophilicity. MP migration significantly altered bacterial diversity patterns in soil layers relative to MP-free controls, with colonized MPs hosting distinct communities from surrounding soil.
Soil application of PE and PLA microplastics alter earthworm (Eisenia nordenskioldi) gut bacterial community and soil microbiome-metabolome dynamics
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.
The combination of microplastics and glyphosate affects the microbiome of soil inhabitant Enchytraeus crypticus
Researchers tested how microplastics and the common herbicide glyphosate affect soil health when present together. Biodegradable PLA plastic combined with glyphosate had the most damaging effects on both soil bacteria and the gut microbiome of soil worms, worse than conventional PET plastic. These results suggest that using biodegradable plastics alongside pesticides in agriculture may pose greater ecological risks than previously thought.
Impact of microplastics and aged microplastics on the toxicity of emerging contaminants in the soil
Researchers assessed how polypropylene (PP) microplastics and UV-aged PP microplastics modify the toxicity of eight emerging organic contaminants -- including diclofenac, ciprofloxacin, and diuron -- on soil organism Enchytraeus crypticus, finding that while PP alone had no effect at 5 mg/kg, its presence significantly amplified the toxicity of all tested organic pollutants.
Effects of polyethylene microplastics stress on soil physicochemical properties mediated by earthworm Eisenia fetida
Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics of two sizes and found that smaller particles (13 micrometers) were more toxic than larger ones (130 micrometers), reducing survival and growth more severely. The microplastics caused oxidative stress in the worms and altered key soil properties including pH and organic carbon content. Since earthworms play a vital role in maintaining healthy soil for agriculture, this damage could affect soil quality and ultimately the food grown in microplastic-contaminated farmland.
Extractable additives in microplastics: A hidden threat to soil fauna
Researchers compared the toxic effects of five types of microplastics and their extractable chemical additives on a common soil worm species. They found that the additives leaching from the plastics were the primary driver of toxicity, reducing worm growth and survival and disrupting gut microbiota. The study indicates that the chemical additives embedded in microplastics may pose a greater threat to soil organisms than the plastic particles themselves.
Effect of microplastic pollution on the gut microbiome of anecic and endogeic earthworms
Researchers investigated how low-density polyethylene microplastic pollution affects the gut microbiome of two types of earthworms with different burrowing lifestyles. They found that microplastics altered the relative abundance of several bacterial groups in both species, with deeper-burrowing anecic earthworms showing more pronounced effects and reduced survival. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in soil may disrupt the gut microbial communities of earthworms, with impacts varying by species and ecological behavior.
Earthworms Significantly Alter the Composition, Diversity, Abundance and Pathogen Load of Fungal Communities in Sewage Sludge from Different Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants
Earthworms exposed to microplastic-contaminated soil were found to significantly alter the composition, diversity, and abundance of potentially pathogenic soil bacteria, suggesting that earthworm bioturbation in MP-contaminated soils may have unintended effects on soil microbiome health.