Microbiota of Chironomus riparius larvae

Accumulation of microplastics is a global problem affecting the planet health, thus finding ecologically appropriate measures for microplastic degradation is of high importance. Considering C. riparius larvae lifestyle as deposit feeders, their associated gut microbiota could be studied as a potential source of microplastic biodegraders. This study aimed to characterize for the first time microbiota associated with C. riparius larval gut from a river habitat compared to laboratory culture and to assess its ability for degradation of different substrates including cellulose, proteins and three different types of microplastics (PE, PVC and PA).

微塑料累积已成为威胁地球生态健康的全球性问题，因此研发生态适宜的微塑料降解手段具有至关重要的意义。鉴于C. riparius幼虫以沉积物为食的生活习性，其体内共生的肠道菌群可作为潜在的微塑料降解微生物资源开展研究。本研究首次对河流生境来源的C. riparius幼虫肠道菌群进行表征，并与实验室培养的该幼虫肠道菌群进行对比，同时评估其降解多种底物的能力，涵盖纤维素、蛋白质以及聚乙烯（PE）、聚氯乙烯（PVC）和聚酰胺（PA）三种微塑料。