International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Sci Rep. 2024 Sep 12;14(1):21370. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-72201-9.
Plastic waste has recently become a major global environmental concern and one of the biggest challenges has been seeking for alternative management options. Several studies have revealed the potential of several coleopteran species to degrade plastics, and this is the first research paper on plastic-degradation potential by lesser mealworms from Africa. This study evaluated the whole mitogenomic profile of the lesser mealworm to further identify the insect. The ability of the mealworm to consume Polystyrene (PS) was also evaluated alongside its associated gut microbiota diversity. Our results showed a complete circular mitochondrial genome which clustered closely to the Alphitobius genus but also suggested that our insect might be a new subspecies which require further identification. During the PS feeding trials, overall survival rates of the larvae decreased when fed a sole PS diet while PS intake was observed to increase over a 30-day period. The predominant bacteria observed in larvae fed PS diets were Kluyvera, Lactococcus, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Enterococcus, while Stenotrophomonas dominated the control diet. These findings demonstrated that the newly identified lesser mealworm can survive on a PS diet and has a consortium of important bacteria strongly associated with PS degradation. This work provides a better understanding of bioremediation applications, paving the way for further research into the metabolic pathways of plastic-degrading microbes and bringing hope to solving plastic waste pollution while providing high-value insect protein towards a circular economy.
塑料废物最近已成为全球主要的环境问题之一，其中最大的挑战之一是寻求替代管理方案。多项研究表明，某些鞘翅目昆虫具有降解塑料的潜力，而这是首次研究非洲少棘谷盗降解塑料的潜力。本研究评估了少棘谷盗的完整线粒体基因组图谱，以进一步鉴定这种昆虫。还评估了其消耗聚苯乙烯（PS）的能力及其相关肠道微生物多样性。我们的研究结果表明，该昆虫具有完整的环状线粒体基因组，与黄粉虫属聚类关系密切，但也表明我们的昆虫可能是一个需要进一步鉴定的新亚种。在 PS 喂养试验中，幼虫单独喂食 PS 时的总体存活率下降，而在 30 天的时间内，PS 的摄入量增加。在喂食 PS 饮食的幼虫中观察到的主要细菌是 Kluyvera、乳球菌、克雷伯氏菌、肠杆菌和肠球菌，而 Stenotrophomonas 则是对照组饮食中的优势菌。这些发现表明，新鉴定的少棘谷盗可以在 PS 饮食中存活，并具有与 PS 降解密切相关的重要细菌的联合体。这项工作更好地理解了生物修复应用，为进一步研究塑料降解微生物的代谢途径铺平了道路，为解决塑料废物污染带来了希望，同时为循环经济提供了高价值的昆虫蛋白。
