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The Paradoxical Toxicity of Microplastics under Predation Risk: The Driving Role of Gut Microbiota-Mediated Tolerance
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Researchers found that Daphnia clones adapted to fish predation were significantly more tolerant to combined microplastic and predation stress than predator-naive clones, and demonstrated through microbiota transplant experiments that this tolerance was causally driven by the adapted gut microbiome's enrichment in carbohydrate metabolism and immune defense functions.
genotypes revealed that the fish-adapted clone exhibited superior tolerance to combined exposure to stressors, maintaining robust growth and defensive integrity, unlike the fish-naïve clone. The gut microbiome was identified as a key mechanistic driver. The fish-adapted clone maintained a more stable microbial community structure with functions enriched in carbohydrate metabolism and immune defense. A reciprocal transplantation experiment provided causal evidence: transplanting the adapted microbiota into the predator-naïve clone reduced mortality by 39% and increased intrinsic growth by 22% under combined stress. These findings highlight that microplastics risk assessment may be flawed if they ignore the eco-evolutionary context of natural stressors.
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Nanoplastic-induced microbiome shifts reduce Daphnia fitness and increase parasite reproduction
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Researchers transplanted gut microbiomes from nanoplastic-exposed Daphnia magna into unexposed hosts and found that the nanoplastic-altered microbial communities persisted across the host lifespan, reducing host fecundity and elevating fungal parasite reproduction — revealing microbiome disruption as an indirect pathway through which nanoplastic pollution compromises host fitness.
Effects of microplastics on Daphnia-associated microbiomes in situ and in vitro
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This study investigated how microplastic exposure alters the microbiome associated with Daphnia in freshwater, finding shifts in bacterial community composition that may affect host health and ecological function. The results suggest that microplastics can indirectly harm zooplankton by disrupting their microbial symbionts.
Microplastic Exposure Across Trophic Levels: Effects on the Host Microbiota of Freshwater Organisms
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Researchers investigated how microplastic exposure affects the gut bacteria communities of freshwater organisms including fish, invertebrates, and crustaceans. Microplastics—particularly when combined with pesticides—altered gut microbiota composition, which could impair digestion, immunity, and overall health of freshwater species.
Combined Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Enrofloxacin on the Life Histories and Gut Microbiota of Daphnia magna
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Researchers exposed Daphnia magna to polystyrene nanoplastics and the antibiotic enrofloxacin alone and in combination, measuring life history traits and gut microbiota responses. Both stressors individually reduced survival and reproduction, and combined exposure altered the taxonomic composition and metabolic function of gut microbiota more than either contaminant alone.
Microplastic exposure across trophic levels: effects on the host–microbiota of freshwater organisms
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Researchers examined how microplastic exposure across trophic levels affects the gut microbiota of freshwater organisms, finding that microplastics alter microbial community composition and that effects can transfer through food web interactions.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.