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Data and code supporting: Microplastic burdens and trophic-transfer patterns differ between marine and freshwater metawebs
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Note: This entry is actually a dataset and code repository rather than a full research paper with reported findings, so specific results (like how microplastics move up the food chain) aren't described here, just the tools and data used to study it. That said, the underlying research looks at how microplastics build up in animals and pass from prey to predator, comparing ocean and freshwater food webs. Understanding these patterns matters because it helps scientists predict how microplastic contamination might move through the food chain, including into fish and other foods humans eat.
Harmonised organismal microplastic-burden observations, freshwater and marine metaweb node and edge lists, adjusted predator–prey burden gradients, motif classifications, frozen figure inputs and R figure-reproduction code supporting the associated manuscript.
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Microplastic effects on zooplankton: meta-analysis dataset and code (48 studies; 1,468 effect sizes)
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This meta-analysis dataset accompanies research pooling data from 48 studies to examine how microplastics affect zooplankton across different environmental conditions. The analysis covers nearly 1,500 effect measurements and found that microplastics pose elevated risks to these tiny aquatic organisms, particularly under warming conditions. This is concerning because zooplankton form the foundation of aquatic food webs that ultimately supply seafood to human diets.
Data and code for "Microplastics as tracers of water-mass transport history reveal non-local net primary production spillovers"
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This entry is a data and code repository (not a primary research paper) associated with a study using microplastics as environmental tracers to track ocean water-mass transport history and understand spillover effects on marine primary production.
Freshwater food webs amplify microplastic transfer to fish
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Comparing freshwater and marine fish from multiple studies, researchers found that freshwater fish consistently carry higher microplastic burdens than marine fish, driven by both higher ambient MP concentrations in freshwater environments and greater dietary exposure through freshwater food webs. The study demonstrates that freshwater food webs amplify MP transfer to fish more effectively than marine webs.
Microplastic effects on zooplankton: meta-analysis dataset and code (48 studies; 1,468 effect sizes)
AI summary Read the abstract
This meta-analysis pools data from 48 studies covering nearly 1,500 measurements to assess how microplastics affect zooplankton, the tiny animals at the base of aquatic food chains. The research found that microplastics pose significant risks to zooplankton, especially as water temperatures rise with climate change. Since zooplankton are a critical food source for fish, harm to these organisms can ripple up the food chain to affect the seafood people eat.
Microplastic exposure across trophic levels: effects on the host–microbiota of freshwater organisms
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Researchers examined how microplastic exposure across trophic levels affects the gut microbiota of freshwater organisms, finding that microplastics alter microbial community composition and that effects can transfer through food web interactions.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.