The effect of micro-plastics on the growth and development of Eisenia fetida (Savingy, 1826) in vermiculture
PDF
XML
ePUB

Keywords

microplastics
acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene
earthworms
Eisenia fetida
fertility
biomass dynamic

How to Cite

Babenko, A. S., & Kurovskij, A. V. (2025). The effect of micro-plastics on the growth and development of Eisenia fetida (Savingy, 1826) in vermiculture. Acta Biologica Sibirica, 11, 27-35. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14668810

Abstract

The effect of different concentrations of e-waste plastic (acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene) in vermiculture on the growth and development of the compost earthworm E. fetida was studied. It was shown that at low concentrations of microplastics (1%) in vermiculture, earthworms practically do not reduce their growth and development indicators, while with an increase in the plastic concentration to 5–10%, the number of cocoons and juveniles decreases, and the growth of earthworm biomass slows down. Avoidance of the substrate and death of worms are not observed even with a relatively high (10%) proportion of plastic in the composted mixture.

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14668810
PDF
XML
ePUB

References

Atyieh RM, Sabler S, Edwards CA, Bachman G, Metzger JD, Shuste W (2000) Effects of vermicomposts and composts on plants growth in horticultural container media and soil. Pedobiologia 44: 579–590. https://doi.org/10.1078/S0031-4056(04)70073-6

Atiyeh RM, Arancon NQ, Edwards CA, Metzger JD (2001) The influence of earthworm-processed pig manure on the growth and productivity of marigolds. Bio Resource Tech nology 81: 103–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-8524(01)00122-5

De Souza MacHado AA, Lau CW, Till J, Kloas W, Lehmann A, Becker R, Rillig MC (2018) Impacts of Microplastics on the Soil Biophysical Environment. Environmental Science and Technology 52: 9656–9665. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b02212

Fan P, Yu H, Xi B, Tan W (2022) A review on the occurrence and influence of biodegradable microplastics in soil ecosystems: Are biodegradable plastics substitute or threat? Environment International 163: 107244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2022.107244

Hazarika J, Khwairakpam M (2022) Valorization of industrial solid waste through novel biological treatment methods – integrating different composting techniques. Advanced Organic Waste Management. Sustainable Practices and Approaches 9: 77–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-85792-5.00012-5

Huang M, Zhu Y, Chen Y, Liang Y (2023) Microplastics in soil ecosystems: soil fauna responses to field applications of conventional and biodegradable microplastics. Journal of Hazardous Materials 441: 129943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129943

Kim HA (2016) Study on the Utilization of the Earthworms Eisenia Fetida and Eisenia Andrei for the Disposal of Polymers. International Journal of Environmental Science and Development 7: 355–358. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJESD.2016.V7.799

Kiyasudeen K, Ibrahim MH, Muhammad SA, Ismail SA, Gonawan FN, Zuknik MH (2018) Earthworms as plug flow reactors: A first-order kinetic study on the gut of the vermicomposting earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 25: 31062–31070. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3074-z

Lwanga EH, Gertsen H, Gooren H, Peters P, Salánki T, van der Ploeg M, Besseling E, Koelmans AA, Geissen V (2017) Incorporation of Microplastics from Litter into Burrows of Lumbricus terrestris. Environmental Pollution 220: 523–531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.09.096

Meng K, Lwanga EH, Zee M, Munhoz DR, Geissen V (2023) Fragmentation and depolymerization of microplastics in the earthworm gut: A potential for microplastic bioremediation? Journal of Hazardous Materials 447: 1307765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.130765

Mitchell A (1997) Production of Eisenia fetida and vermicompost from feed-lot cattle manure. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 29: 763–766. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(96)00022-3

Ojha R, Devkota D (2014) Earthworms: “Soil and Ecosystem Engineers” – A Review. World Journal of Agricultural Research 14(2): 257–260. https://doi.org/10.12691/wjar-2-6-1

Petersen H, Luxton M (1982) A comparative analysis of soil fauna populations and their role in decomposition processes. Oikos 39: 288–388. https://doi.org/10.2307/3544689

Sanchez-Hernandez JC, Capowiez Y, Ro KS (2020) Potential use of earthworms to enhance decaying of biodegradable plastics. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 8(11): 4292–4316. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b05450

Sanfilippo EC, Argüello JA, Abdala G, Orioli GA (1990) Content of auxin-inhibitor and gibberellin-like substances in humic acids. Biologia Plantarum 32: 346–351. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02898497

Sharma K, Garg VK (2019) Earthworms and microplastics: Transport from sewage sludge to soil, antibiotic-resistant genes, and soil remediation. Sustainable Resource Recovery and Zero Waste Approaches 10: 133–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-64200-4.00010-4

Wang J, Coffin S, Sun C, Schlenk D, Gan J (2019) Negligible effects of microplastics on animal fitness and HOC bioaccumulation in earthworm Eisenia fetida in soil. Environmental Pollution 249: 776–784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.03.102

Whalen JK, Parmelee RW, Subler S (2000) Quantification of nitrogen excretion rates for three lumbricid earthworms using ¹⁵N. Biology and Fertility of Soils 32(4): 347–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003740000259

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...