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Lipid mass and free fatty-acid composition of Calanus hyperboreus (CV) exposed to pristine and biofouled microplastics during shipboard incubation experiments (southeastern Greenland, summer 2024)
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Researchers measured lipid mass and fatty-acid composition in Arctic copepods exposed to pristine and biofouled nylon-6 microplastics during shipboard experiments off southeastern Greenland. The dataset provides insights into how microplastic exposure under varying food availability and starvation conditions affects the fat reserves and nutritional physiology of a key Arctic zooplankton species.
This dataset provides measurements of total lipid mass and free fatty-acid composition of the Arctic copepod Calanus hyperboreus, copepodite stage CV, collected during three independent shipboard microplastic exposure experiments conducted aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough in July-August 2024 during the KANG-GLAC cruise (SD041). Copepods were exposed to pristine and biofouled nylon-6 microplastics at concentrations 0, 20 and 200 microgram per liter under food availability and starvation conditions. Total lipid mass was quantified gravimetrically and normalized to individual dry weight. Fatty-acid composition was analysed as fatty-acid methyl esters using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and expressed as relative abundance (percent of total detected fatty acids). Funding was provided by: - Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) IAPETUS2 Doctoral Training Partnership (NE/S007431/1) - UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship project CUPIDO (MR/T020962/1) - European Research Council (Horizon 2020) project ANTSIE (Grant 864637)
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Biofouled microplastics exposure is associated with shifts in late-summer lipid dynamics of juvenile copepod Calanus hyperboreus
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Tiny Arctic ocean creatures called copepods build up fat reserves each summer that help them survive winter and serve as a critical food source for fish and whales — but this study found that when these copepods are exposed to microplastics coated with a natural biofilm (mimicking real ocean conditions), they store less fat and their fat composition changes during this crucial feeding season. Since these copepods are a foundational link in the Arctic food chain — feeding fish that eventually end up on our plates — disruptions to their fat storage could ripple upward through the food web, though more research is needed to confirm how directly this affects fish and human food supplies.
Data Sheet 1_Biofouled microplastics exposure is associated with shifts in late-summer lipid dynamics of juvenile copepod Calanus hyperboreus.docx
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Tiny Arctic creatures called copepods are a crucial link in the ocean food chain—they store huge fat reserves that feed fish and whales and help pull carbon out of the atmosphere into the deep sea. This study found that when these copepods ate microplastics coated with a natural biofilm (mimicking what they'd encounter in the real ocean) during their key summer fat-building season, they stored less fat and had altered fat composition compared to those exposed to clean plastic. This matters because if microplastic pollution disrupts fat storage in these foundational species, it could ripple up the food chain to the fish and seafood we eat
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Researchers exposed the coldwater copepod Calanus finmarchicus to nylon microplastic granules and fibers at environmentally relevant concentrations and measured effects on feeding, lipid accumulation, and development. They found that while microplastic ingestion did not cause acute toxicity, it reduced algal feeding rates and altered lipid storage patterns. The findings suggest that chronic microplastic exposure could impair the energy reserves these copepods need for overwintering and reproduction.
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Researchers conducted the first assessment of combined microplastic and oil exposure effects on three key Arctic copepod species. They found that co-exposure to polyethylene microplastics and oil caused sublethal effects on feeding rates, egg production, and lipid profiles that differed from oil-only exposure. The study suggests that the presence of microplastics may alter how Arctic zooplankton respond to oil pollution, which is relevant as shipping and industrial activity increase in polar regions.
Microplastic pollution in the Arctic Ocean: Assessing ingestion and potential health effects in Calanus and Neocalanus copepods
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This review assessed the extent of microplastic ingestion by Arctic marine organisms and evaluated the potential risks to both wildlife and human consumers of Arctic seafood. The authors found evidence of microplastic ingestion across multiple species and called for more research on long-term ecological impacts in polar environments.
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