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Ecological Impacts of Microplastics on Marine Organisms
Summary
This review paper pulls together existing research on how tiny plastic particles (microplastics) build up in oceans and harm marine life like algae, shellfish, and fish—sometimes damaging their cells. Because these particles can move up the food chain from small organisms to larger ones, and seafood is a major part of many diets, this matters for humans too: what accumulates in fish and shellfish may eventually end up on our plates. The research doesn't pinpoint exact human health risks yet, but it underscores why scientists are increasingly concerned about plastic pollution's ripple effects through the food web.
Microplastics (MPs) have been an environmental concern due to the resistance to biodegradation under natural conditions. Despite the potential hazards of MPs to living organisms, their environmental fate has not yet been fully understood. Since MPs are primarily originated from anthropogenic activities, they can be identified across all environmental media. This chapter aims at the sources of MPs and their global distribution, which highlights that the marine is a critical reservoir. Physicochemical properties of MPs, including shape, size, and polymer type, are scrutinized with their behaviors acting as adsorbents and as substrates for biofilm formation. Also, cytotoxic effects of MPs on marine organisms such as algae, invertebrates, and vertebrates are reviewed. Variability and debatable nature of the observed effects are highlighted. The bioaccumulation of MPs by marine organisms and their trophic transfer through the food web has been explored additionally. Therefore, this chapter provides the environmental behavior of MPs in marine environments and their ecological risks against marine biodiversity.