We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Transgenerational Transfer and Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in the Floating Macrophyte Spirodela polyrhiza
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) can pass from a parent aquatic plant to its "grandchildren" generations, even when those younger plants were never directly exposed to the plastic. This inherited exposure stunted plant growth and disrupted key biological processes—suggesting plastic pollution's harm can echo across generations, not just affect the individual exposed. While this study was done in a water plant, it raises important questions about whether similar long-term, multi-generational effects could occur in other organisms—something worth watching as we learn more about how nanoplastics move through the food chain and potentially affect human health.
Nanoplastics (NPs) represent an emerging threat to aquatic ecosystems. However, their transgenerational transfer potential and associated toxicological consequences remain poorly characterized. In this study, the transgenerational transfer of polystyrene (PS) NPs was quantified and visualized in the floating macrophyte Spirodela polyrhiza using the metal-doped and bioimaging method. Beyond parental (F0) S. polyrhiza uptake via frond lower epidermis, PS accumulated through stipule-mediated mother-to-daughter frond transfer (MF-to-DF transfer) with an efficiency of 1–3%. Both F0 uptake and MF-to-DF transfer were insensitive to environmentally relevant PS weathering. The F1-to-F2 transfer efficiency exhibited a clear dose-dependent increase, rising from 0.2 to 0.6% at 0.1 mg L –1 to 0.7–1.1% at 5 mg L –1 . Notably, a pronounced F2-specific phytotoxicity emerged, which was closely correlated with reduced growth (9 ± 4% lower specific growth rate) and frond number (12 ± 7% decline), whereas no comparable inhibition was observed in F1. Mechanistically, this phytotoxicity stemmed from transcriptional reprogramming (dysregulated circadian/photosynthesis-antenna pathways, activated stress resistance metabolites) at 5 mg L –1 . These findings established that parental NP exposure could induce transgenerational growth inhibition in unexposed offspring; however, the extent to which these mechanistic observations apply to environmental scenarios (e.g., 0.1 mg L –1 ) remains to be determined. This represented a significant yet under-characterized ecotoxicological risk, and it critically escalated NP impacts from individual-level toxicity to population-relevant consequences in aquatic ecosystems.
More Papers Like This
Transgenerational impacts of micro(nano)plastics in the aquatic and terrestrial environment
AI summary Read the abstract
This review summarizes research on the transgenerational impacts of micro- and nanoplastics, showing that exposure can harm not only the directly exposed organisms but also their unexposed offspring. Researchers found that the most commonly reported effects across generations include tissue bioaccumulation, impaired growth and reproduction, oxidative stress, and genetic damage. The study highlights that particle characteristics such as size, polymer type, and degree of aging significantly influence the severity of these transgenerational effects.
Grandparental transfer of nanoplastics in pea plants (Pisum sativum): Transmission from soil to third generations
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed the first generation of pea plants to nanoplastics and then grew two subsequent generations in clean soil, detecting nanoplastic fluorescence inside cells of the third generation — demonstrating that nanoplastics can be passed from grandparent to grandchild plants and persist in soil food webs.
Evidence of parental transfer of nanoplastics in pea (Pisum sativum) plants
AI summary Read the abstract
In a striking finding, researchers showed that pea plants exposed to nanoplastics passed those particles to their seeds, and the next generation of plants grown from those seeds still contained nanoplastics even in clean soil. The nanoplastics were found in the vascular tissue of both generations, and the second generation showed reduced crop yield and altered nutrient content. This parental transfer of nanoplastics through plants raises serious concerns about long-term contamination of food crops across growing seasons.
Can “Risk-Sharing” Mechanisms Help Clonal Aquatic Plants Mitigate the Stress of Nanoplastics?
AI summary Read the abstract
This study examined how nanoplastics affect water hyacinth, a clonal aquatic plant that can share resources between connected parent and offspring plants. Nanoplastics accumulated in parent plants and transferred to offspring through connecting stems, reducing growth and damaging the photosynthetic system at all tested concentrations. The findings are concerning because aquatic plants used in ecological restoration could accumulate and spread nanoplastic contamination through water ecosystems.
Transgenerational neurotoxicity of polystyrene microplastics induced by oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed the roundworm C. elegans to polystyrene microplastics and tracked the effects across five generations. They found that microplastic exposure caused nerve damage and oxidative stress that persisted in offspring even when those generations were not directly exposed, suggesting microplastics can have lasting effects passed down through generations.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.