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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Synergistic Effects of Earthworms and Plants on Chromium Removal from Acidic and Alkaline Soils: Biological Responses and Implications
ClearMicrobial synergies in phytoremediation: A comprehensive review
Not relevant to microplastics — this is a review of how soil microorganisms (bacteria, fungi) assist plants in removing pollutants like heavy metals and hydrocarbons through phytoremediation; while the study addresses environmental contamination broadly, it does not examine microplastic pollution or its effects.
Impacts of microplastics and heavy metals on the earthworm Eisenia fetida and on soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus
Researchers found that co-contamination by polypropylene microplastics and heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Zn) had synergistic adverse effects on earthworms and soil quality, reducing organic carbon and nitrogen levels more than either contaminant alone.
Ecological adaptation of earthworms for coping with plant polyphenols, heavy metals, and microplastics in the soil: A review
This review examines how earthworms cope with and help remediate soil pollutants including heavy metals, microplastics, and plant polyphenols. Researchers describe how earthworms use specialized gut metabolites and elevated antioxidant enzyme activity to neutralize toxic compounds, and can serve as biofilters that accumulate and transform these pollutants. The findings support the wider use of earthworm-based bioremediation as a strategy for restoring contaminated soils.
A Systematic Review on Earthworms in Soil Bioremediation
This systematic review found that earthworm-based bioremediation (vermiremediation), alone or combined with phytoremediation and bioaugmentation, effectively reduces soil contamination from heavy metals, pesticides, and hydrocarbons. The research is relevant to microplastics because earthworms interact extensively with soil microplastics, potentially fragmenting them further while also being harmed by plastic particle ingestion.
Potential strategies for bioremediation of microplastic contaminated soil
Researchers reviewed emerging bioremediation strategies for removing microplastics from contaminated soil, highlighting the roles of plants, root-zone microbes, soil animals like earthworms, and specialized bacteria and fungi that can use enzymes to break down plastic polymers into harmless compounds. While genetic engineering of microbes shows promise for accelerating degradation, the review notes that real-world application at scale still requires significant research and development.
Ecologically different earthworm species are the driving force of microbial hotspots influencing Pb uptake by the leafy vegetable Brassica campestris
This paper is not about microplastics — it studies how two species of earthworms influence soil microbial activity and lead uptake by leafy vegetables at different levels of soil lead contamination, addressing food safety concerns related to heavy metal pollution.
Impacts of microplastics and heavy metals on the earthworm Eisenia foetida and on soil organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus
Researchers assessed the combined effects of polypropylene microplastics and a heavy metal mixture (copper, chromium, and zinc) on the earthworm Eisenia foetida and on soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling. The study found that co-contamination exacerbated adverse effects on earthworm survival and soil nutrient dynamics compared to single-pollutant exposures, highlighting synergistic risks of combined microplastic and metal pollution in terrestrial ecosystems.
Earthworm-microbiome interactions: Unlocking next-generation bioindicators and bioengineered solutions for soil and environmental health
This review explores how earthworms and their associated microbiomes can serve as bioindicators of soil contamination from pollutants including microplastics. Changes in earthworm gut microbial communities can act as early warning signals of soil pollution, and engineered earthworm-microbiome systems show potential for environmental remediation. The study suggests that understanding these biological interactions could lead to new biomonitoring tools for assessing microplastic contamination in terrestrial ecosystems.
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.
Microplastics and earthworms in soils: A case study on translocation, toxicity and fate
This conference abstract presents research on how earthworms in agricultural soils interact with microplastics, examining whether worms translocate particles deeper into soil, experience toxic effects, and alter the fate of microplastic contamination. Earthworms are key soil engineers, and their exposure to microplastics could have cascading effects on soil health.
Bioremediation of soil microplastics: the role of microbial and earthworm activity
This review of 150 studies found that tiny plastic particles in soil can be naturally broken down by soil microbes and earthworms working together, with earthworms reducing some plastics by up to 60%. The research shows that certain plastic types like shopping bags and food containers are harder to break down than others, and that healthy soil with diverse microbes and earthworms is better at cleaning up plastic pollution. This matters because microplastics in soil can eventually end up in our food and water, so understanding how nature breaks them down could help us develop better ways to reduce plastic pollution in the environment.
Current research trends on plastic pollution and ecological impacts on the soil ecosystem: A review
This review examines the current state of research on plastic pollution in soil ecosystems, an area that has received far less attention than marine plastic contamination. Researchers found that agricultural practices, sewage sludge application, and plastic mulch use are major sources of soil microplastic pollution, with earthworms being the most commonly studied organisms for assessing ecological impacts. The study calls for more research into how microplastics affect soil biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and long-term soil health.
Microplastics in Agricultural Soil: Fate, Impacts, and Bioremediation by Earthworms
This review examines how microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils and the role earthworms may play in breaking them down. Researchers found that microplastics can harm soil health by disrupting microbial communities, enzyme activity, and nutrient availability, but that earthworms can enhance microplastic degradation through their digestive processes and the microorganisms in their gut. The study suggests that earthworm-based bioremediation could be a practical strategy for reducing microplastic contamination in farmland.
Earthworms on a microplastics diet
Researchers found that environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene microplastics added to plant litter on soil surfaces led to reduced growth and elevated mortality in the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris, and that earthworms may themselves transport ingested microplastics deeper into soils.
Earthworms As An Emerging Biotechnological Intervention in the Mitigation of Microplastics
This review explores the emerging role of earthworms as biological agents for degrading microplastics in soil environments. Researchers found that earthworm gut microflora and mucous secretions actively contribute to breaking down plastic polymers through enzymatic depolymerization. The study suggests that earthworm-mediated biodegradation could be a promising biotechnological approach for mitigating microplastic contamination in terrestrial ecosystems.
Effects of environmentally relevant mixtures of microplastics on soil organisms
Researchers exposed earthworms and springtails to environmentally realistic mixtures of microplastics commonly found in agricultural soils treated with sewage sludge. They found that earthworms ingested microplastics in proportion to exposure levels, and at higher concentrations, both species showed reduced reproduction. The study provides evidence that real-world microplastic mixtures in farm soils can affect important soil organisms at concentrations already found in the environment.
Soil and Sediment Organisms as Bioindicators of Pollution
This review examines how soil organisms like earthworms, insects, and microbes can serve as living indicators of pollution, including contamination from microplastics and heavy metals. Changes in these organisms' behavior, reproduction, or survival can reveal pollution levels that chemical tests alone might miss. The approach is relevant to microplastic research because it provides practical tools for assessing how microplastic contamination in soil affects the ecosystems that support agriculture and food production.
Earthworms alleviate microplastics stress on soil microbial and protist communities
Researchers found that earthworms can help alleviate the negative effects of microplastic pollution on soil microbial and protist communities. In microcosm experiments, soils with earthworms showed more resilient bacterial, fungal, and protist communities when exposed to both conventional and biodegradable microplastics. The study suggests that soil macrofauna play an important role in buffering ecosystems against the disruptive effects of microplastic contamination.