Ecological adaptation of earthworms for coping with plant polyphenols, heavy metals, and microplastics in the soil: A review

In recent years, soil pollution by massive accumulation of heavy metals (HMs), microplastics, and refractory hydrocarbon chemicals has become an emerging and global concern, drawing world-wide attention. These pollutants influence soil diversity by hindering the reproduction, abun-dance, thereby affecting aboveground productivity. The scientific community has recently emphasized the contribution of earthworms to heavy metal accumulation, microplastic degra-dation, and the decomposition of organic matter in the soil, which helps maintain the soil structure. This review paper aimed to compile scientific facts on how earthworms cope with the effect of HMs, microplastics, and plant polyphenols so that vermiremediation could be widely applied for well-being of the soil ecosystem by environmentalists. Earthworms have special surface-active metabolites in their guts called drilodefensins that help them defend themselves against the oxidative action of plant polyphenols. They also combat the effects of toxic micro -plastics, and other oxidative compounds by elevating the antioxidant activities of their enzymes and converting them into harmless compounds or useful nutrients. Moreover, earthworms also act as biofilters, bioindicators, bioaccumulators, and transformers of oxidative polyphenols, micro -plastics, toxic HMs, and other pollutant hydrocarbons. Microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) in earthworms' gut of also assist in the fixation, accumulation, and transformation of these toxicants to prevent their effects. As a potential organism for application in ecotoxicology, it is recom-mended to propagate earthworms in agricultural fields; isolate, and culture enormously in in-dustry, and inoculate earthworms in the polluted soil, thereby abate toxicity and minimizing the health effect caused by these pollutants as well enhance the productivity of crops.

Automated summary

In recent years, soil pollution by heavy metals, microplastics, and hydrocarbon chemicals has become a global concern. Earthworms play a crucial role in coping with these pollutants by accumulating, degrading, and transforming them. They also contribute to maintaining soil structure and enhancing crop productivity. Therefore, it is recommended to utilize earthworms for vermiremediation to mitigate the negative effects of these pollutants on soil ecosystems.