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Age-Dependent Molecular Response Strategies to Microplastic Exposure in the Endangered Horseshoe Crab Tachypleus tridentatus
Summary
Scientists found that young horseshoe crabs react more strongly and chaotically to microplastic pollution than older ones, with the youngest showing bigger disruptions to their metabolism and stress systems. This matters because it shows microplastics can hit developing animals harder than adults—a pattern worth considering for other species, including how early-life exposure to microplastics might affect human infants and children differently than adults.
Microplastic pollution has become an emerging threat to marine biodiversity, yet the developmental-stage-specific responses of endangered marine species remain poorly understood. Tachypleus tridentatus, a threatened marine arthropod of high ecological and conservation value, is exposed to microplastics in coastal habitats. In this study, five-instar-old and six-instar-old juvenile T. tridentatus were exposed to polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) with a diameter of 6 μm at environmentally relevant concentrations (0, 102, 104 particles/L) for 21 days. Fluorescence imaging revealed the accumulation of PS-MPs within the intestinal tract, with distinct retention characteristics among developmental stages. Transcriptome analysis revealed significant differential gene expression after exposure, with affected pathways related to energy metabolism, immune regulation, stress response, signal transduction, and development. Younger juveniles exhibited stronger transcriptional disturbances in metabolic and stress-related pathways, whereas older juveniles showed more coordinated regulation of homeostatic and adaptive genes. These findings suggest that juvenile T. tridentatus employs age-dependent molecular response strategies when confronted with microplastic exposure, reflecting developmental differences in stress sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying microplastic responses in an endangered marine species and highlights the importance of incorporating developmental-stage variation into ecological risk assessments and conservation strategies for horseshoe crabs in polluted coastal ecosystems.