We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
The combined effect of temperature and microplastics on Daphnia pulex Leydig, 1860 (Cladocera)
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists found that tiny water fleas (a key food source for fish) ate significant amounts of microplastic beads, which slowed their heart rates and cut their feeding by more than half, effects that got worse in warmer water. While this study focused on aquatic life rather than humans directly, it matters because these small creatures sit at the bottom of the food chain, so microplastic pollution combined with rising water temperatures could ripple upward and affect the fish and ecosystems that eventually end up on our plates.
Microplastic contamination of freshwaters is on the rise due to anthropogenic activities. As a result, adverse effects on aquatic organisms, including cladocerans, have been observed. Cladocerans are widely used and recommended as bioassay organisms in ecotoxicological tests or as bioindicators of water pollution. Their generalist feeding habits make them capable of consuming microplastics. Here we exposed Daphnia pulex to two stressors, 30 µm microplastic beads and temperature (20 and 25 °C) and observed effects in terms of acute and sub-acute tests (LC50, filtration rates, and cardiac rhythm) and chronic tests (population growth and life table) for two generations. We hypothesized that the stressors would have a more pronounced negative effect in the F1 compared to the F0 generation. The adverse effects of microplastics were more evident in the acute toxicity tests than chronic toxicity tests and at 25 °C rather than 20 °C. Adult cladocerans consumed (in 20 min.) between 50 and 200 beads ind.-1, juveniles between 20 and 150 beads ind.-1, and neonates between 0 and 75 beads ind.-1. There was more than a 50% decrease in the ingestion rate and cardiac rhythm of the cladocerans in the presence of microplastics. Population growth rates were higher in the presence of microplastics due to greater and earlier investment in offspring production. We did not observe adverse effects of the 30 µm plastic beads on the survivorship-related variables of D. pulex. Further studies are needed to test the impact of this stressor over several generations to determine the effects of microplastics in food webs in contaminated aquatic ecosystems.
More Papers Like This
Chronic and Acute Water-Soluble Microplastics Uptake and Effects on Growth and Reproduction of Daphnia magna
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that two water-soluble microplastics — polyvinyl alcohol and polymethacrylic acid — harm the water flea Daphnia magna, reducing lifespan, reproduction, and causing physical deformities, raising concerns about these less-studied plastic types that dissolve in water rather than forming visible particles.
Are Daphnia similis Playing a Significant Role in Microplastic Biofragmentation?
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposing the freshwater microcrustacean Daphnia similis to polystyrene microspheres found that the organisms reduced particle size by nearly 33% over six days through biofragmentation, demonstrating that zooplankton ingestion is an underappreciated pathway for breaking down microplastics into smaller particles.
Antibiotic and microplastic co-exposure: Effects on Daphnia magna and implications for ecological risk assessment
AI summary Read the abstract
This review pulls together existing research on how antibiotics and microplastics, both common pollutants in lakes and rivers, affect tiny water creatures called Daphnia, which are important indicators of freshwater ecosystem health. The key takeaway: when these two pollutants combine, they appear to cause more harm together than either does alone, suggesting our current safety assessments (which typically test pollutants one at a time) may be underestimating real-world risks. While this study focused on aquatic life rather than humans directly, it matters because these same waterways often feed into our drinking water and food supply, so better understanding combined pollutant effects could help protect
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.