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Mapping of microplastic toxicity: Uptake, trophic transfer, and ecotoxicological risks in marine ecosystems
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This review pulls together existing research showing that tiny plastic particles (microplastics) build up in ocean life, moving from small organisms all the way up to the fish we eat, causing stress, inflammation, and cell damage along the way. Since these particles can carry harmful chemicals with them, and seafood is a major route of exposure for people, the findings highlight a real need for better monitoring and policies to protect both marine life and human health.
Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as pervasive contaminants in marine ecosystems, posing escalating ecotoxicological risks across trophic levels. This review highlights the current knowledge on the sources, types, and mechanistic pathways of MPs toxicity by assessing their environmental uptake, trophic transfer, and associated impacts on aquatic organisms and human health. Previous studies collectively demonstrate that integrated field assessments, chemical characterization, and advanced multi-omics methodologies provide a holistic understanding of polymeric particle bioavailability, transport pathways, and cellular interactions across diverse marine species, ranging from primary producers to higher trophic level apex consumers. In this review, modeling and spatial analyses further elucidate the transport processes and distribution patterns of MPs within marine ecosystems. Prior studies have shown that MPs ingestion alters nutrient absorption, enzymatic efficiency, and redox homeostasis in marine organisms, triggering oxidative stress, metabolic disruption, and sub-lethal physiological impairments across multiple trophic levels. Recent evidence reveals that MPs can be translocated through pelagic and benthic food webs and may facilitate the transfer of sorbed contaminants and additives across trophic levels. Reviews of molecular or histopathological data show MPs trigger inflammatory responses, oxidative damage, apoptosis, genotoxicity, and immunity alterations in marine species. Review studies evaluate nanoremediation, biochar amendment, and engineered carbonaceous sorbents as key mitigation strategies against MPs risks. Probabilistic risk assessments underscore substantial human dietary exposure through seafood, policy integration, urging integration of MPs monitoring into global marine health frameworks for proactive intervention. These reviewed insights enhance mechanistic MPs ecotoxicology knowledge, underpinning sustainable strategies and policies for marine biodiversity protection and human well-being security.
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This review summarizes existing research on how tiny plastic particles move through ocean food chains, from small organisms to larger ones. It covers methods scientists use to detect and measure plastics, and describes reported health effects in marine animals, including gut damage, stress, and nervous system problems, plus how plastics can carry other harmful chemicals.
Impact of microplastics on marine ecosystems: An analysis of their ecological effects
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This review of 31 studies found that microplastics are harming marine life, from tiny zooplankton to fish, seabirds, and turtles, causing cell damage, inflammation, and disrupted digestion, with these toxins building up as they move up the food chain. Since humans eat seafood from these same waters, this bioaccumulation is a red flag for what may end up on our plates, underscoring why researchers are calling for urgent action to reduce plastic pollution in oceans.
A Summary of the Transporting Mechanism of Microplastics in Marine Food Chain and its Effects to Humans
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This review summarized how microplastics are transported through marine food chains from plankton to fish to humans, detailing toxic effects at each trophic level and outlining mitigation strategies to reduce ecological and human health risks from oceanic plastic pollution.
Microplastics: understanding the interaction with the food web and potential health hazards
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This review traces how microplastics move through aquatic food webs, from tiny filter-feeding organisms up to predatory fish, and ultimately to humans who consume seafood. Evidence indicates that microplastics can accumulate and concentrate at each level of the food chain, carrying toxic chemicals that may cause inflammation and hormone disruption. The authors stress the need for more research to understand these pathways and develop strategies to reduce microplastic contamination in food.
Environmental toxicology of marine microplastic pollution
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This review summarized a decade of research on the environmental toxicology of marine microplastic pollution across different ocean organisms and trophic levels. Researchers found that microplastics can accumulate in marine life from phytoplankton to fish, causing molecular, metabolic, and physiological harm. The study emphasizes that understanding these toxic effects is essential for assessing the broader ecological risks of plastic pollution in ocean environments.
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