Environmental Entomology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown
Published: Dec. 25, 2024
Abstract Microplastics (MPs) are a growing problem worldwide. Soils long-term storage sinks of MPs because the many pathways they enter soil and their long degradation period. Knowing how influence organisms, effects organisms on fate MPs, what this means for additions, losses, transformations, translocations is paramount. in could impede breakdown organic matter by adult darkling beetles. We set up an experiment to test hypothesis adding finely ground scrap tire rubber small population beetles (Zophobas morio, Fabricius 1776, Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The omnivores that accelerate when feeding detritus. As control, we released into with no MPs. also surveyed published manuscripts insects, decomposers, decomposition soil, providing reference frame our findings. Darkling ate, fragmented, humidified mixture, enhancing microbial decomposition. All treatments lost weight over period, control losing 10%, significantly more than other (an average loss 5%). Higher concentrations microplastics soils led lower reductions mass through These findings suggest detritivores from breaking down matter. Even so, only handful studies evaluated particles literature survey. Still, these among largest sources land.
Language: Английский