Zophobas morio versus Tenebrio molitor: Diversity in gut microbiota of larvae fed with polymers.

Autor: Urbanek AK; Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Institute of Environmental Biology, Laboratory for Biosustainability, Kożuchowska 5b, 51-631 Wrocław, Poland., Rybak J; Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50370 Wrocław, Poland., Hanus-Lorenz B; Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50370 Wrocław, Poland., Komisarczyk DA; Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Institute of Environmental Biology, Laboratory for Biosustainability, Kożuchowska 5b, 51-631 Wrocław, Poland., Mirończuk AM; Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Institute of Environmental Biology, Laboratory for Biosustainability, Kożuchowska 5b, 51-631 Wrocław, Poland. Electronic address: aleksandra.mironczuk@upwr.edu.pl.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2024 Nov 20; Vol. 952, pp. 176005. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 03.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176005
Abstrakt: Plastics are common synthetic materials that have been abundantly present as pollutants in natural ecosystems for the past few decades. Thus scientists have investigated the capability of plastic digestion by insects. Here we compare the effectiveness of biodegradation of the specific polymers: expanded polystyrene (EPS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP) altogether with above variants of plastics with microelements and vitamins by the mealworm - the larval form of the beetle Tenebrio molitor - and larvae of the beetle Zophobas morio, known as superworms. Z. morio beetles on all diets were able to complete their life cycle from larvae through pupae and imago, gaining 19 % and 22 % in mass on LDPE and EPS; 8 % and 7 % on PVC and PP. Mealworms (T. molitor) reared on polymers had minimal weight gain, gaining 2 % on LDPE and EPS, and a slight reduction in mass was observed when reared on PP and PVC. Not all specimens of T. molitor were able to pupate and transform to the adult stage. The results suggest that larvae of Z. morio can eat and degrade some types of plastic compounds more effectively than T. molitor. The changes in microbial gut communities were compared between these two species. The highest mass gain for Z. morio is associated with higher diversity in gut microbia and it was more diverse than that of T. molitor. Citrobacter freundii, a bacterium recognized for its ability to degrade long-chain polymers, linear hydrocarbons and cyclic hydrocarbons, was found in the microflora of Z. morio. The results confirm that superworms can survive on polymer feed. Moreover, this diet supplemented with microelements and vitamins increases the number of bacterial species and the diversity in the microbial gut.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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