Impact of size and shape in the transport of microplastics by a springtail species

ABSTRACT

We investigated the impact of shape (beads, fibers and films) and size (0.5 and 1.0 mm; diameter or length) of polypropylene microplastics (MPs) on MP transport by a springtail species, Folsomia candida in dishes. The percentages of transported beads, fibers and films were 9.10%, 3.18% and 4.10%, respectively. For 1.0 mm MPs, the number of MPs transported was significantly higher for beads than for fibers and films, whereas, for 0.5 mm MPs, the number was significantly higher for fibers than for the other MP types. Additionally, the number of MPs transported was higher for small fibers than for large fibers, whereas it was higher for large beads than for small beads. These results indicate that the effects of F. candida on MP migration depend on MP shape and size. Our results highlight the importance of considering the physical characteristics of MPs while elucidating the interaction between soil fauna and MPs.

KEYWORDS:

• Folsomia candida
• microarthropods
• microplastics
• springtail
• transport

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/26395940.2023.2261776

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20210631), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42101106) and the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX23_1127).