Is there any biological insight (or respite) for insects exposed to plastics? Measuring the impact on an insects central carbon metabolism when exposed to a plastic feed substrate

Beale, David J.; Shah, Rohan; Marcora, Anna; Hulthen, Andrew; Karpe, Avinash V.; Pham, Khoa Van; Wijffels, Gene; Paull, Cate

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154840

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Frass collection was one of the most challenging tasks in this experiment because these particles adhered to the larvae’s bodies. Beale et al (2022) found the same limitation in insect frass collection in the jar, suggesting an additional analysis to assess micro and nanoplastics. In addition, screening for organic plastic residues in the insect gut and expelled frass is recommended.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…However, no study has proven the ability of H. illucens larvae to degrade polymers. An analysis underpinned by Beale et al (2022) exposed H. illucens to different plastic diets. The study concluded that the presence of plastic might have caused oxidative stress affecting a wide variety of cellular responses related to the immune response.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… Brandon et al (2018) reported that mealworms degrade PE and mixtures (PE + PS). Beale et al (2022) concluded that Tenebrio mollitor, H. illucens and Galleria mellonela exposed to different plastic (PET, PE, PS, expanded PE, PP, and PLA) expressed different plastic degradation pathways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genetic diversity and organic waste degrading capacity of Hermetia illucens from the evergreen forest of the Equatorial Choco lowland

Pazmiño

Hierro

Flores

2023

PeerJ

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Globally, microplastics (MP) represent a growing burden for ecosystems due to their increasing presence at different trophic levels. In Ecuador, the lack of waste segregation has increased the quantity of waste, primarily organics and plastics, overloading landfills and water sources. Over time, plastics reduce in size and silently enter the food chain of animals, such as insects. The black soldier fly (BSF) larvae, Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus, 1758), is a species with devouring behavior used for waste management because of its beneficial qualities such as fly pest control, biomass production, and rapid organic waste degradation. Studies have uncovered the insect’s ability to tolerate MP, and consider the possibility that they may be able to degrade polymers. For the first time in Ecuador, the present study characterized H. illucens using the sequences of different molecular markers. Finally, H. illucens’ degrading capacity was evaluated in the presence of MP and decaying food residues, resembling landfill conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genetic diversity and organic waste degrading capacity of Hermetia illucens from the evergreen forest of the Equatorial Choco lowland

Pazmiño

Hierro

Flores

2023

PeerJ

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“…2020; Beale et al . 2022), habitat loss and fragmentation (Strachan et al . 2015; Sánchez‐Bayo & Wyckhuys 2019) and climate change (Wagner 2020; Halsch et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Understanding how organisms are organized in space and time has helped us predict the natural changes in species (Li et al 2017;da Silva Krechemer & Foerster 2020) and those changes arising from environmental disturbances, such as contamination (Watanabe et al 2020;Wesner et al 2020;Beale et al 2022), habitat loss and fragmentation (Strachan et al 2015;S anchez-Bayo & Wyckhuys 2019) and climate change (Wagner 2020;Halsch et al 2021). However, to accurately assess which changes are natural and which are not, basic knowledge about a species' phenology and relationship with other species and the environment is essential (Lancaster et al 2017;Del-Claro 2019;Kharouba et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenology of the semiaquatic caterpillar Paracles klagesi and its response to environmental changes

2022

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Phenological patterns can arise as a response to seasonal variation and are closely related to rain regimes and temperature. Organisms living in the water/atmosphere interface receive stimuli from both environments and require adaptations to survive. Paracles klagesi (Rothschild, 1910) is a semiaquatic caterpillar with a terrestrial adult form found in streams in a Brazilian savannah. We hypothesized that the semiaquatic larvae of this species respond to atmospheric environmental changes in rainfall and temperature by synchronizing their development throughout the year, with the highest abundance during the dry season and the lowest in the rainy season. We followed a caterpillar population for 1 year, counted and measured individuals every 15 days and obtained monthly average temperature and rainfall data. Currently, there is no description of P. klagesi instars; therefore, we categorized them into six size classes and a pupal stage. Since phenological and physiological responses are complex and may not be perceived at the time of the stimulus, we used a Pearson's correlation test with a time lag of up to 3 months to investigate the influence of rainfall and temperature. The caterpillars showed synchronized development over time, supporting our first hypothesis. The time-lag analysis identified an immediate inverse relationship between caterpillar abundance and monthly rainfall, while the temperature had a delayed positive relationship with pupae of 3 months. Our results showed that P. klagesi synchronized its development with time and, as a semiaquatic insect, used atmospheric cues for pupae to complete its development. This is the first study providing information about phenology and the role of temperature and rainfall in the development of a semiaquatic lepidopteran. We believe that unusual strategies by insects may provide data for understanding how evolutionary forces influence adaptations as insects colonize new environments.

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Investigations into the characterization, degradation, and applications of biodegradable polymers by mass spectrometry

Rizzarelli,

Leanza,

Rapisarda

2023

Mass Spectrometry Reviews

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Biodegradable polymers have been getting more and more attention because of their contribution to the plastic pollution environmental issues and to move towards a circular economy. Nevertheless, biodegradable materials still exhibit various disadvantages restraining a widespread use in the market. Therefore, additional research efforts are required to improve their performance. Mass spectrometry (MS) affords a relevant contribution to optimize biodegradable polymer synthesis, to confirm macromolecular structures, to examine along the time the progress of degradation processes and highlight advantages and drawbacks in the extensive applications. This review aims to provide an overview of the MS investigations carried out to support the synthesis of biodegradable polymers, with helpful information on undesirable products or polymerization mechanism, to understand deterioration pathways by the structure of degradation products and to follow drug release and pharmacokinetic. Additionally, it summarizes MS studies addressed on environmental and health issues related to the extensive use of plastic materials, that is, potential migration of additives or microplastics identification and quantification. The paper is focused on the most significant studies relating to synthetic and microbial biodegradable polymers published in the last 15 years, not including agro‐polymers such as proteins and polysaccharides.

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Is there any biological insight (or respite) for insects exposed to plastics? Measuring the impact on an insects central carbon metabolism when exposed to a plastic feed substrate

Cited by 15 publications

References 46 publications

Genetic diversity and organic waste degrading capacity of Hermetia illucens from the evergreen forest of the Equatorial Choco lowland

Genetic diversity and organic waste degrading capacity of Hermetia illucens from the evergreen forest of the Equatorial Choco lowland

Phenology of the semiaquatic caterpillar Paracles klagesi and its response to environmental changes

Investigations into the characterization, degradation, and applications of biodegradable polymers by mass spectrometry

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