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The combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and glyphosate on Daphnia magna: Physiological and behavioral responses.
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Tiny water fleas (Daphnia magna) were exposed to microplastics and the weedkiller glyphosate, alone and combined, for 96 hours in a lab test. Combined exposure harmed swimming, heart rate, gut tissue and stress related genes, with effects that were sometimes stronger and sometimes weaker than expected depending on what was measured.
Although microplastics (MPs) and glyphosate (Gly) commonly co-occur in aquatic environments, their combined toxic effects and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, Daphnia magna was exposed to polystyrene MPs (12 mg/L) and Gly (40 mg/L) individually and in combination for 96 h to evaluate their ecotoxicity. MPs accumulation, heart rate, swimming behavior, antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, GST), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, apoptosis, intestinal histopathology, and expression of immunity- and reproduction-related genes were examined. MPs were rapidly ingested and persistently accumulated in the gut, and Gly co-exposure did not significantly alter accumulation levels. Combined exposure transiently increased the heart rate, significantly inhibited swimming behavior, induced oxidative stress, exacerbated apoptosis, and caused severe intestinal damage. A two-way ANOVA showed that the type of the MPs × Gly interaction differed among the measured responses: the interaction was synergistic for the stress- and detoxification-related indicators (GST activity, HSP70 and GST expression) and antagonistic for the oxidative-damage and reproduction-related indicators (SOD, MDA, CYP360 and Vtg), whereas no significant interaction was detected for CAT, DHB, EST, CYP314, FKBP39 or the cell death-associated fluorescence index. These results indicate that co-exposure to MPs and Gly produces non-additive effects in D. magna, with the type of interaction depending on the endpoint assessed. This study provides a scientific basis for assessing the ecological risks of combined MPs and pesticide pollution in aquatic environments.
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The synergistic effect of mono and co-exposure of microplastic suspensions on Daphnia magna’s survival, population density, reproduction rate & swimming behavior.
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When water fleas (Daphnia magna) were exposed to mixtures of HDPE, LDPE, and polypropylene microplastics together, the combined toxicity was substantially greater than any single polymer alone, with the mixture LC50 dropping to 77 mg/L compared to 109–123 mg/L for individual plastics. This synergistic effect — reducing survival, reproduction, and normal swimming behavior — is an important finding because organisms in nature encounter mixtures of plastic types, not just one at a time.
Toxicity Evaluation of Microplastics Exposure in Water Contaminated with Pyrene and Methyl Chlorpyrifos Using Daphnia magna
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Scientists tested how two microplastic types, combined with two common water pollutants, affected small water fleas (Daphnia magna) in lab experiments. The pollutants stuck to the microplastics, and exposure to both together increased harm, including reduced survival and reproduction, especially when one plastic type carried the adsorbed pollutants.
Combined toxicity of perfluoroalkyl substances and microplastics on the sentinel species Daphnia magna: Implications for freshwater ecosystems
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This study tested how PFAS chemicals (common industrial pollutants) and PET microplastics affect water fleas, both alone and together. The combination caused worse developmental and reproductive problems than either pollutant alone, and organisms with prior chemical exposure history responded differently, showing that microplastics can amplify the harm of other environmental contaminants in ways that are difficult to predict.
Toxicity of mixtures of cyanobacteria and microplastics in aquatic organisms
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Scientists tested how water fleas (Daphnia magna) responded to microplastics, toxin-producing algae extracts, and mixtures of both. Both substances alone caused harmful effects like reduced survival, growth and reproduction, and combining them showed some added interactions between the two contaminants.
Combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastic and benzophenone-4 on the bioaccumulation, feeding, growth, and reproduction of Daphnia magna
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Researchers examined the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and the UV filter chemical benzophenone-4 on water fleas over 21 days. They found that exposure to both contaminants together caused greater harm to feeding, growth, and reproduction than either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics and personal care product chemicals can interact to amplify their negative effects on freshwater organisms.
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