We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Global warming enhances nanoplastics toxicity: Insights into body shrinkage and energy deficit
Summary
Researchers studied how warming temperatures affect the toxicity of nanoplastics in water fleas over three generations. They found that elevated temperatures significantly worsened the harmful effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on growth, reproduction, and behavior. The underlying mechanism involved disruption of the animals' chitin-based exoskeleton development and energy metabolism, suggesting that climate change may amplify the ecological risks posed by nanoplastic pollution.
Understanding the effects of global warming on nanoplastics ecotoxicity is crucial for environmental safety, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigates the effects of low concentration polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) on Daphnia magna over three generations, under different mean temperature (MT) and daily temperature fluctuations (DTF), simulating both current and projected climate scenarios, and further explored the underlying mechanisms. Our results demonstrate that nanoplastics impaired growth, reproduction, and behavior, which were all exacerbated under elevated MT and/or DTF. Notably, Daphnia body size was significantly reduced in warming conditions, aligning with the temperature-size rule, which may further promote the microplastics intake due to the increased surface-to-volume ratio. Transcriptomic analysis revealed key mechanisms behind the size reduction, including disruption of chitin-based cuticle development, chitin binding, and cuticle structure components. Furthermore, nanoplastics also predominantly downregulate energetic metabolic pathways, with a more pronounced effect at elevated MT. Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) further confirmed the suppressed chitin and cuticle development and energy metabolism contribute to the enhanced nanoplastics toxicity under warming. This study highlights the amplified toxicity of nanoplastics in a warming world and provides proof-of-principle that body shrinkage and energy deficits are the key underlying mechanisms.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Combined effects of nanoplastics and elevated temperature in the freshwater water flea Daphnia magna
This study found that polystyrene nanoplastics became more toxic to water fleas (Daphnia magna) at higher temperatures, causing more oxidative stress and a greater drop in reproduction. Warmer conditions increased how much plastic the organisms absorbed and accumulated. The findings suggest that as global temperatures rise, the harmful effects of nanoplastic pollution on aquatic life could get worse, potentially affecting species that are important food sources for fish.
The thermal regime modifies the response of aquatic keystone species Daphnia to microplastics: Evidence from population fitness, accumulation, histopathological analysis and candidate gene expression
Researchers found that temperature plays a key role in how toxic microplastics are to the water flea Daphnia magna. Microplastic exposure caused increased mortality, reduced reproduction, and slower population growth, with these negative effects becoming much more pronounced at higher temperatures. The study suggests that warming water temperatures due to climate change may amplify the harmful impacts of microplastic pollution on aquatic ecosystems.
Local thermal adaption mediates the sensitivity of Daphnia magna to nanoplastics under global warming scenarios
Researchers investigated how local thermal adaptation in water fleas (Daphnia magna) affects their sensitivity to polystyrene nanoplastics under different temperature regimes. They found that populations adapted to warmer environments showed different vulnerability to nanoplastic toxicity compared to cold-adapted populations, particularly under fluctuating temperatures. The study suggests that evolutionary history and temperature variability are important factors when assessing the ecological risks of nanoplastics under climate change scenarios.
Warming, temperature fluctuations and thermal evolution change the effects of microplastics at an environmentally relevant concentration
Researchers examined how warming temperatures, daily temperature fluctuations, and thermal evolutionary history influence the effects of microplastics on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that while microplastics had almost no effect under standard laboratory temperature conditions, exposure under more realistic warming scenarios caused significant changes to reproduction, heart rate, and swimming behaviour. The study suggests that current risk assessments conducted at constant laboratory temperatures may substantially underestimate the ecological impact of microplastic pollution.
Each temperature degree counts: warming enhances polystyrene nanoplastic toxicity via metabolic disruption in a marine cellular model
This study examined how elevated water temperatures — simulating marine heatwaves — amplify the toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in marine cells, finding that warming enhanced metabolic disruption caused by nanoplastics. The results suggest climate change and plastic pollution interact synergistically to harm marine organisms.