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Cockroach Blaptica dubia biodegrades polystyrene plastics: Insights for superior ability, microbiome and host genes

Cockroach Blaptica dubia biodegrades polystyrene plastics: Insights for superior ability, microbiome and host genes

Mei-Xi Li ¹, Shan-Shan Yang ¹, Jie Ding ¹, Meng-Qi Ding ¹, Lei He ¹, De-Feng Xing ¹, Craig S Criddle ², Mark Eric Benbow ³, Nan-Qi Ren ⁴, Wei-Min Wu ²

Mei-Xi Li ¹, Shan-Shan Yang ¹, Jie Ding ¹

¹State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
²Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, William & Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
³Department of Entomology and Department of Osteopathic Medical Specialties, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
⁴State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China.

⁰State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.

Journal of Hazardous Materials +

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September 10, 2024

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View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Blaptica dubia cockroaches can biodegrade polystyrene (PS) plastics, digesting up to 46.6% in 24 hours. This plastic degradation is dependent on molecular weight and involves both the cockroach and its gut microbes.

Area Of Science

Environmental Science
Microbiology
Insect Biology

Background

Polystyrene (PS) is a common plastic pollutant with limited biodegradation pathways.
Insects are increasingly recognized for their potential to degrade recalcitrant materials.

Purpose Of The Study

To investigate the plastic-degrading capabilities of Blaptica dubia cockroaches.
To elucidate the mechanisms and molecular basis of PS biodegradation by B. dubia.

Main Methods

Feeding B. dubia cockroaches with commercial and high-purity PS microplastics of varying molecular weights.
Analyzing residual PS for biodegradation evidence (isotopic shift, molecular weight reduction, functional groups).
Utilizing genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses to study gut microbial and host contributions.

Main Results

B. dubia cockroaches effectively biodegraded PS, digesting up to 46.6% within 24 hours.
Biodegradation efficiency was dependent on PS molecular weight.
PS ingestion altered gut microbial communities and increased plastic-degrading bacterial gene abundance.
Both cockroach host and gut microbes contributed to enzymatic PS degradation.

Conclusions

Blaberidae family cockroaches possess significant plastic-degrading abilities.
Insect-microbe symbiosis plays a crucial role in the biodegradation of plastics.
This study offers new insights into insect-mediated plastic biodegradation mechanisms.

Keywords:

Biodegradation Blaptica dubia Cockroach Plastic Polystyrene

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