Summary
Microplastic pollution can have detrimental effects on soil environments and inhibit crop growth. Earthworms, known as soil engineers, promote crop growth, but their role and impact on the amelioration of microplastic-polluted soil is not yet clear. In this study, we investigated the impact and pathways of earthworm activity on microplastic-contaminated soil by introducing varying densities (without earthworm:0, low-density: 1, medium-density: 2, high-density: 5 ind column-1) of earthworms (epi-endogeic) into soil contaminated with two types of microplastics: polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride. Our results showed that earthworms all survived in soil polluted with two types of microplastics. Meanwhile, earthworm activity increased nutrient content and enzyme activity by 0.2-36.1% and 2.9-3
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