Effects of Pristine and Aged LDPE and PP Microplastic Leachates on Behavioural Responses of the Soil Arthropods Folsomia candida and Porcellionides pruinosus

This study investigated the behavioural responses of the arthropods Folsomia candida (springtails) and Porcellionides pruinosus (woodlice) to leachates released from additive-free plastic polymers. Avoidance behaviour was evaluated to assess potential reductions in soil habitat function, while aggregation status was investigated to highlight possible functional impairments in the woodlice population. Leachates from pristine and artificially aged low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP) microplastics were tested at three different concentrations, ranging from environmentally relevant levels to a worst-case scenario of soil contamination. The distinct physicochemical structures of LDPE and PP led to different release compounds. The results revealed no statistically significant avoidance responses in arthropods for either treatment. Unlike PP, LDPE induced a statistically significant impairment of gregarious behaviour at the highest tested concentration (150 mg/kg d.w.). Furthermore, pristine LDPE induced more pronounced disaggregation than the aged one, suggesting that weathering may modulate behavioural responses depending on polymer type and endpoint. Therefore, it is recommended that high levels of plastic leachates can have an adverse effect on soil arthropods and that the aggregation behaviour of woodlice may be a more informative and sensitive biological endpoint than avoidance alone.