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Size- and shape-dependent effects of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics on the benthic crustacean Artemia franciscana
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Researchers tested how different sizes and shapes of PET microplastics affect juvenile brine shrimp in a sand-layered system simulating the ocean floor. Small fragments that could be ingested caused gut damage and impaired movement, while larger fragments and fibers triggered cell death through physical stress. The findings indicate that the shape and size of microplastics are major factors in determining their harmful effects on bottom-dwelling marine organisms.
A large amount of microplastics (MPs) in the marine environment have gradually sunk into the benthic area, and crawling organisms can be easily exposed to the MPs. This study aimed to compare the size- and shape-dependent effects of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) on Artemia franciscana, which crawls on the bottom during the juvenile stage. In this study, the juvenile stage A. franciscana was exposed to three sized fragments (<20 μm, 45-75 μm, and >125 μm) and two fibers (200 μm and 3 mm length) of PET MPs contaminated seawater in a sand-layered system for 48 h. Acute effects on survival, growth rate, gut damage, apoptosis, and swimming activity were observed. The results showed that small edible-sized fragments (< 75 μm) consumed by A. franciscana caused gut damage and inhibited their movement, whereas large-sized fragments (> 125 μm) and fibers (200-3000 μm) induced apoptosis through physical stress. The uptake impacts of small PET MPs and physical effects of fibril shaped PET MPs on A. franciscana suggest that morphology, including size and shape, of PET MPs can be a major factor determining their ecotoxicity to marine benthic organisms.
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Chronic effects of irregular and fibril microplastics on Artemia franciscana in a benthic environment: Size and shape-dependent toxicity
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Researchers studied how irregular and fibril-shaped microplastics of various sizes affect brine shrimp in a simulated seafloor environment over an extended period. They found that the smallest irregular particles and longer fibers caused the most significant reproductive and growth effects. The study demonstrates that both the size and shape of microplastics matter when assessing their impact on bottom-dwelling marine organisms.
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This study exposed Pacific white shrimp to PET microplastics of three different sizes for 21 days and found that smaller particles caused the most harm, reducing growth and swimming ability while causing significant tissue damage. Larger microplastics were less harmful, and the shrimp showed some ability to recover from their effects. The findings are important for aquaculture and food safety because they show that microplastic particle size matters significantly when assessing health risks to commercially important seafood species.
In vivo visualization of environmentally relevant microplastics and evaluation of gut barrier damages in Artemia franciscana
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Researchers developed non-destructive imaging methods to visualize the uptake of environmentally relevant irregularly-shaped microplastics in brine shrimp. The study found that high-density polyethylene particles accumulated in the gut and caused barrier damage, providing direct visual evidence of how realistic microplastic shapes affect small aquatic organisms.
Size- and shape-dependent effects of microplastic particles on adult daggerblade grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio)
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Researchers exposed adult grass shrimp to eleven sizes of microplastic spheres, fibers, and fragments and measured effects on survival, ingestion, and particle residence time. They found that mortality was size- and shape-dependent, with larger spheres and fibers causing the highest death rates, while particles smaller than 50 micrometers were not acutely toxic. The study demonstrates that both the size and shape of microplastics are critical factors in determining their toxicity to marine crustaceans.
Impacts of nanoplastics on Artemia franciscana larvae: effects on growth and proteins responses
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This laboratory study found that nanoplastic particles reduced growth and feeding rates in Artemia franciscana (brine shrimp) larvae in a dose-dependent manner. The results demonstrate that nanoplastics — the smallest and potentially most biologically active plastic particles — can harm early-life-stage marine crustaceans at environmentally relevant concentrations.
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