We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Species-specific microplastic ingestion responses to biofilm in Eastern Tropical Pacific zooplankton
Summary
Scientists studying tiny ocean creatures (zooplankton) found that whether these organisms eat microplastic particles depends on both the species and whether the plastic has a coating of algae and bacteria (called biofilm) on it — one species preferred coated plastic, another preferred bare plastic, and a third didn't care either way. Since zooplankton are at the base of the ocean food chain, this matters because it shows microplastic pollution can enter marine food webs in unpredictable ways, which is relevant to understanding how plastics may eventually work their way up to the seafood humans eat.
Microplastics are pervasive in pelagic environments and overlap in size with zooplankton prey, resulting in widespread ingestion. Responses may vary among species due to feeding traits. We tested ingestion responses to surface conditioning (clean vs biofilm-covered) of fluorescent polyethylene microspheres (38-45 μm; 10 Ms mL) under natural food conditions during short-term exposure (2 h) in three tropical zooplankton: Subeucalanus crassus, Centropages furcatus, and Euphausia distinguenda. We hypothesized species-specific responses, with copepods favoring biofilm-covered particles and the euphausiid showing no preference. In S. crassus, ingestion occurred in 50% of individuals with biofilm and 0% with clean particles (p = 0.063). In C. furcatus, ingestion occurred in 67% with clean and 0% with biofilm (p = 0.019). In E. distinguenda, ingestion was similar across treatments (p = 0.588). These results suggest species-specific differences in early-stage ingestion responses to particle surface condition, including responses that deviate from expected trait-based predictions.