Presence of microplastics enhanced the toxicity of silver nanoparticles on the collembolan Folsomia candida.

Chemosphere

Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo, 315830, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.

Published: October 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • Researchers are exploring how microplastics (MPs) interact with other pollutants like silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), especially concerning their effects on soil organisms, specifically the collembolan Folsomia candida.
  • In a study, co-exposure to MPs and varying concentrations of AgNPs showed a significant reduction in reproduction rates and increased silver accumulation in these soil organisms, indicating a synergistic toxic effect.
  • The findings suggest that the presence of MPs can enhance the negative impacts of AgNPs, posing ecological risks to soil-dwelling organisms by altering nutrient dynamics and increasing metal bioavailability.

Article Abstract

There is growing interest in interactions of microplastics (MPs) with other pollutants. However, there is limited understanding of the combined effects of MPs and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on nontarget soil organisms. This work aimed to examine the effects of exposure to various AgNPs' concentrations alone (0, 0.1, 1, 10, 100, 1000 mg kg, 50 nm) and in combination with polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC MPs, 80-250 μm) at 0.1% concentration for 28 days on reproduction, Ag accumulation, C/N ratio, and isotopic fractionation of the standard soil fauna collembolan Folsomia candida. Results showed that compared to the AgNPs exposure alone, the presence of MPs significantly reduced reproduction by 51.4% and markedly increased Ag content in collembolans by 87.7% at 1000 mg kg AgNPs, which evidenced a synergistic effect. Co-exposure to MPs and AgNPs resulted in a noticeable reduction in the C/N ratio in F. candida body tissues by 9.90% and 5.27% at 1 and 10 mg kg AgNPs, respectively, showing additive and synergistic effects. Additionally, this co-exposure altered stable isotope fractionation, with the highest increments of δN by 32.3% and inhibition of δC by 2.62%, demonstrating the turnover of nutrients shift in the collembolan tissues. Collectively, this study demonstrates that con-current exposure to environmentally relevant concentration of MPs and relatively high doses of AgNPs synergistically induces toxic effects on F. candida, leading to Ag accumulation and reproduction decline. These findings imply that MPs could alter collembolans' responses to AgNPs exposure, potentially enhancing the metal ions' bioavailability in soil environments and posing ecotoxicological threats to soil-dwelling organisms.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143557DOI Listing

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