We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Developmental Transfer of Microplastic Particles from Larval to Adult Stages of the Drone Fly Eristalis tenax
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers discovered that microplastic particles consumed by drone fly larvae during their aquatic stage are retained and transferred into the adult flying stage after metamorphosis. This means that microplastics picked up in polluted water can be carried into terrestrial environments when the adult flies emerge and travel. The finding is significant because drone flies are important pollinators, and the transfer of microplastics through their life cycle represents a previously unknown pathway for plastic pollution to move between water and land ecosystems.
Plastic pollution has become a critical environmental issue, with vast amounts of plastic waste accumulating in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Plastic pollution poses significant risks to biodiversity by introducing toxic chemicals and disrupting biological functions. The drone fly, Eristalis tenax, is perhaps the most globally widespread hoverfly. This success is aided by its development as a rat-tailed maggot in a wide array of aquatic environments where it feeds on decaying organic matter. As an adult, E. tenax is a vital pollinator, visiting a wide range of crops and wild plants, and has been shown to vector pollen over hundreds of kilometres during seasonal migrations. Exposure to microplastics during larval stages has the potential to alter the provision of these ecosystem services and to provide a route for the long-distance vectoring of microplastics. To investigate this, we rear E. tenax in water contaminated with different concentrations of microplastic particles. We show that these plastics are retained in the gut from larval through to pupal to adult developmental stages. This contamination resulted in reductions of 33% and 60% in pupal and adult weight when exposed to the highest concentrations of microplastic particles but resulted in no detectable effects on mortality or developmental length. Our results demonstrate the potential for the vectoring of microplastics by this highly mobile species. However, the associated reductions in body size likely have profound consequences for movement capability in terms of foraging and migration and should be further investigated for their impact on ecosystem service provision.
More Papers Like This
Up and away: ontogenic transference as a pathway for aerial dispersal of microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that microplastics ingested by aquatic invertebrates can be transferred to adult winged insects during metamorphosis and subsequently dispersed aerially, identifying ontogenic transference as a novel pathway for microplastic transport from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems.
Ontogenetic transfer of microplastics in natural populations of malaria mosquitoes in Western Siberia
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how malaria-carrying mosquitoes in Western Siberia take up microplastics during their aquatic larval stage and carry them through metamorphosis into adulthood. Larvae accumulated millions of polystyrene particles within days, but the number dropped dramatically during each life stage transition, with only a few particles remaining in adult mosquitoes. The study confirms that flying insects can transfer waterborne microplastic pollution into terrestrial environments.
Microplastics associated to emerged aquatic insects highlight a potential pathway of environmental transport: a case study of the mayfly Cloeon dipterum
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists found that mayflies, aquatic insects that spend part of their life in water and part flying on land, can carry tiny plastic particles with them when they emerge from ponds and rivers as adults. This matters because it reveals a previously overlooked way microplastics can travel from water into land ecosystems, potentially entering the diets of birds, bats, and other animals that eat these insects, and ultimately working their way further up the food chain, including to humans who eat those animals or fish. More research is needed to understand exactly how much plastic moves this way and what it means for our health, but this study shows the pathway exists.
Supplementary material from "Up and away: ontogenic transference as a pathway for aerial dispersal of microplastics"
AI summary Read the abstract
This supplementary dataset supports a study showing that microplastic particles ingested by aquatic mosquito larvae can transfer to the flying adult stage through metamorphosis, demonstrating a novel pathway for microplastics to move from aquatic to terrestrial and aerial environments. The finding suggests insects could transport microplastics across ecosystem boundaries in ways not previously recognized.
Transgenerational effects on development following microplastic exposure in Drosophila melanogaster
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers fed Drosophila melanogaster flies plastic-supplemented food and found that while treated flies showed changes in fertility and sex ratio, their unexposed offspring had shorter larval development and reduced adult size, demonstrating transgenerational developmental effects from parental microplastic exposure.
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.