Research progress on plastic-feeding yellow mealworms

Author of the article:WANG Zhe XIN Xin LIU Ji-Yuan ZHANG Ya-Lin**

Author's Workplace：Key Laboratory of Plant Protection of Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, Entomological Museum of Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China

Key Words：yellow mealworm; plastic; biodegradation

Abstract：With developments in humans’ daily lives, and the increase in the plastic production, the waste plastic which is difficult to be degraded is ever increasing and has an influence on the stability of ecosystem. Recent studies have shown that yellow mealworms (the larvae of Tenebrio molitor) can feed on and degrade plastic. In this paper, the related researches on plastic-feeding mealworms were reviewed from the following three aspects: (1) screening of plastic-degrading microorganisms in the gut of yellow mealworms; (2) the gut microbial diversity of plastic-feeding yellow mealworms; (3) digestive capacity and growth performance of yellow mealworms, which might provide some references for reasonable and economical management of plastic pollution.