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•The effects of polyester fibers on soil animals were studied for the first time.•Enchytraeid reproduction decreased up to 30% but only by long fibers in soil.•Isopod energy reserves ...and feeding activity were affected by fibers in soil.•Polyester fibers were not very harmful to soil invertebrates in 21–28-days exposure.•Polyester fibers can enter terrestrial food webs by ingestion by soil invertebrates.
Polyester fiber is one of the most abundant types of microplastics in the environment. A major proportion of the fibers entering wastewater treatment plants end up in sewage sludge, which is used as a soil fertilizer in many countries. As their impacts in the terrestrial environment are still poorly understood, we studied the effects of polyester fibers on enchytraeids (Enchytraeus crypticus), springtails (Folsomia candida), isopods (Porcellio scaber) and oribatid mites (Oppia nitens), all playing an important role in soil decomposer food webs. We exposed these invertebrates in the laboratory to short (12 µm–2.87 mm) and long (4–24 mm) polyester fibers, spiked in soil or in food at five concentrations ranging from 0.02% to 1.5% (w/w) and using five replicates. Overall the effects of polyester fibers on the soil invertebrates were slight. Energy reserves of the isopods were slightly affected by both fiber types, and enchytraeid reproduction decreased up to 30% with increasing fiber concentration, but only for long fibers in soil. The low ingestion of long fibers by the enchytraeids suggests that this negative impact arose from a physical harm outside the organism, or from indirect effects resulting from changes in environmental conditions. The short fibers were clearly ingested by enchytraeids and isopods, with the rate of ingestion positively related to fiber concentration in the soil. This study shows that polyester fibers are not very harmful to soil invertebrates upon short-term exposure. However, longer lasting, multigeneration studies with functional endpoints are needed to reveal the possible long-term effects on soil invertebrates and their role in the decomposition process. This study also shows that polyester fibers can enter terrestrial food web via ingestion of fibers by soil invertebrates.
Abrasion of tire wear is one of the largest sources of microplastics to the environment. Although most tire particles settle into soils, studies on their ecotoxicological impacts on the terrestrial ...environment are scarce. Here, the effects of tire particles (<180 μm) on three ecologically relevant soil invertebrate species, the enchytraeid worm Enchytraeus crypticus, the springtail Folsomia candida and the woodlouse Porcellio scaber, were studied. These species were exposed to tire particles spiked in soil or in food at concentrations of 0.02%, 0.06%, 0.17%, 0.5% and 1.5% (w/w). Tire particles contained a variety of potentially harmful substances. Zinc (21 900 mg kg−1) was the dominant trace element, whilst the highest concentrations of the measured organic compounds were detected for benzothiazole (89.2 mg kg−1), pyrene (4.85 mg kg−1), chlorpyrifos (0.351 mg kg−1), HCB (0.134 mg kg−1), methoxychlor (0.116 mg kg−1) and BDE 28 (0.100 mg kg−1). At the highest test concentration in soil (1.5%), the tire particles decreased F. candida reproduction by 38% and survival by 24%, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity of P. scaber by 65%, whilst the slight decrease in the reproduction of E. crypticus was not dose-dependent. In food, the highest test concentration of tire particles reduced F. candida survival by 38%. These results suggest that micro-sized tire particles can affect soil invertebrates at concentrations found at roadsides, whilst short-term impacts at concentrations found further from the roadsides are unlikely.
•Negative impacts of tire particles on soil invertebrates are possible at roadsides.•Tire particles slightly decreased reproduction and survival of springtail F. candida.•Tire particles decreased AChE activity of isopod P. scaber.•No dose-dependent effects of tire particles on enchytraeid E. crypticus observed.•Tire particles contained a variety of potentially harmful substances.
The presence of the Spotless Starling in Sicily was reported for the first time at the beginning of the XIX century, although the first nests for the province of Trapani are reported almost at the ...end of the XX century. As a breeder, the Spotless Starling remained absent from all the circumsicilian islands until the first report for the island of Pantelleria, in 2012. In 2020, the nest of Spotless Starling was observed on the island of Favignana, within a hole on an antenna. The couple fed the chicks with Ligia italica crustacean isopod of the family Ligiidae. The nesting on the island of Favignana confirms the continuous expansion of the species in Sicily.
Tropical island saprophagous invertebrates have received little attention despite their important role in sustaining soil fertility. Soil biodiversity in the agroecosystems of the Lesser Antilles is ...subject to various anthropic and environmental perturbations; therefore, it is crucial to promote agricultural practices that help preserve it. Here, we investigate the effect of conversion to organic farming in sugarcane production on soil saprophagous invertebrates in a Martinique plantation (Lesser Antilles). The abundance, biomass and diversity of communities were measured in three fields undergoing organic conversion and in two control fields under conventional production. Invertebrates were sampled both by pitfall trapping and Tullgren extraction. The results indicated that abundance was significantly higher in fields undergoing conversion (342 ± 78 ind.m−2) compared to fields under conventional farming (146 ± 34 ind.m−2). The response of the whole community's biomass to organic conversion was not significant, reflecting a contrasting response of each invertebrate taxa: isopod biomass was the most impacted, earthworm biomass was moderately impacted and diplopod biomass was not significantly affected. A total of 25 morphospecies for all taxa were distinguished in this study. However, the diversity did not differ and community composition remained similar under both farming practices. The response of invertebrate abundance and biomass could be either due to the direct toxicity of herbicides intensively used in conventional sugarcane cultivation or to the indirect effects of herbicides modifying micro-habitat parameters (weed biomass, amount of mulch and litter humidity). In conclusion, the study shows that organic farming has a beneficial effect on soil saprophagous invertebrates even after a short period of conversion (between one and two years), which is promising for restoring soil biological processes in the context of agroecological transition.
•Conversion to organic farming increased abundance of soil invertebrate community by 234%.•Biomass of the whole community was not affected by organic farming.•Each invertebrate taxa showed a contrasting biomass response to organic farming.•Diversity of soil invertebrates did not differ according to farming practices.
Terrestrial isopods are generally considered as detritivore invertebrates, but in recent years and in different parts of the world they seem to become potential agricultural pests for different ...crops. The crops affected so far have been mainly arable crops, but damages to few horticultural crops were also documented. Until now, no referenced problems with isopods as crop pests had ever occurred in Italy. In March/April 2023 on two organic farms in northern Italy newly transplanted seedlings of smooth melon in greenhouses were damaged by isopods. Among farms, the loss was estimated between 40% and 50% of the seedlings. The isopod that caused the damage was identified as Armadillidium arcangelii, and, until now, the species had never been reported as a crop pest. Key Words: New potential pest, Armadillidium arcangelii, terrestrial isopod, melon crop
Coastal zones are affected by a variety of anthropogenic drivers. While scientific assessments of the large-scale impacts are often insufficient due to limited resources, community science approaches ...(i.e. engaging voluntary participation by the general public in scientific research) may allow studying processes on larger geographic and/or temporal scales. In this study, a community science campaign was launched to assess geographic and temporal patterns in subtidal bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) -associated invertebrate fauna along the coastal eutrophication gradient of the Finnish Baltic Sea coast in 2020–2021. The data collected by the community scientists were quality-controlled and generally similar to scientist-collected data. However, most taxa had somewhat lower abundances than data collected with another, more established sampling method. The community composition of fauna differed between areas with varying eutrophication status, and the total abundances of fauna were highest in the areas with the lowest eutrophication impacts. The data also revealed spatial and temporal patterns of individual taxa. For example, the abundance of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) was highest in less eutrophied areas, while the abundance of non-indigenous Harris mud crab (Rhithropanopeus harrisii) was highest in the areas with moderate eutrophication impacts. A two-fold increase in the abundance of isopods that graze on bladderwrack was observed between the study years, indicating a sizeable temporal variation in bladderwrack grazing pressure. The study provides novel information on bladderwrack-associated invertebrate fauna and the applicability of using community science in marine subtidal research. The results suggest that community science is an effective approach to assessing subtidal community-level patterns, and its continued use is recommended to complement data collection across large spatial and temporal scales in marine key habitats.
•We developed a citizen science method to assess bladderwrack-associated fauna.•The obtained data was of high quality and had high geographic coverage.•The invertebrate community composition varied spatially.•Eutrophication-related and temporal patterns were observed for individual taxa.
The marine environment harbors a large proportion of the total biodiversity on this planet, including the majority of the earths' different phyla and classes. Studying the genomes of marine organisms ...can bring interesting insights into genome evolution. Today, almost all marine organismal groups are understudied with respect to their genomes. One potential reason is that extraction of high-quality DNA in sufficient amounts is challenging for many marine species. This is due to high polysaccharide content, polyphenols and other secondary metabolites that will inhibit downstream DNA library preparations. Consequently, protocols developed for vertebrates and plants do not always perform well for invertebrates and algae. In addition, many marine species have large population sizes and, as a consequence, highly variable genomes. Thus, to facilitate the sequence read assembly process during genome sequencing, it is desirable to obtain enough DNA from a single individual, which is a challenge in many species of invertebrates and algae. Here, we present DNA extraction protocols for seven marine species (four invertebrates, two algae, and a marine yeast), optimized to provide sufficient DNA quality and yield for de novo genome sequencing projects.
En este trabajo se describe una nueva especie de isópodo terrestre de la familia Armadillidiidae del levante español, C. Zaragozai n. sp. Se discuten sus caracteres diagnósticos que permiten ...separarla de las otras dos especies del género.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3BB0B30E-BEA9-4024-981D-641D0438576D
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