Starvation Effects on Superworms: Implications in Identifying Plastic-Degrading Genes and Microbes

Abstract To address the challenge of plastic waste, plastic-degrading insects have been gaining considerable attention as promising solutions. This study revealed that subjecting superworms to starvation triggers a stress response, altering both the transcriptome and microbiome. Stress responses have been observed in insects even when they ingest plastics; hence, incorporating starved insects as a control group can augment the precision of selecting genes and microorganisms implicated in plastic degradation. We used Starved and Bran-fed groups as controls and identified 42 genes and five bacteria that exhibited a common increase in superworms consuming polyethylene. This approach has the potential to improve the accuracy of identifying the genetic and microbial factors linked to plastic biodegradation.