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Quantifying the Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Animals: A Systematic Map of Meta-Analyses – PROTOCOL
Summary
This study is creating a comprehensive map of existing research that examines how plastic pollution (including tiny microplastics) affects animals. The researchers are summarizing and organizing all the scientific studies that have already been done to identify what we know and what research is still missing. This matters because understanding how plastic pollution impacts animals can help us better understand potential risks to human health, since we're exposed to the same plastic particles through our food and environment.
This study aims to develop a systematic map of published meta-analyses that quantitatively assess the effects of plastic pollution on animals. With global plastic production constantly increasing, there has been also increase in research efforts on overall effects plastic pollution present in environment has on living organisms. While numerous primary studies and also syntheses like meta-analyses have examined the biological impacts of plastic exposure, there is currently no comprehensive overview of what has been synthesized, which taxa and environments have been covered, and where evidence gaps remain. Our systematic map will identify, catalogue, and classify existing meta-analyses addressing the physical, chemical, and behavioral effects of macro-, micro-, and nanoplastics on animals. In addition, bibliometric analysis will characterize research trends, geographic and institutional distributions, collaboration networks, and thematic structures within the body of synthesized literature.