We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Do Virgin and Chemical-Spiked Microplastics Affect Ephyrae Jellyfish Survival and Behaviour?
AI summary Read the abstract
For the first time, this study compared the toxicity of virgin and pollutant-spiked polyethylene microplastics on Aurelia jellyfish ephyrae, examining both survival and behavioral endpoints. Chemically contaminated microplastics were more toxic than virgin particles, confirming that adsorbed pollutants amplify the hazard posed by plastic particles to marine organisms.
In the present work, we verified for the first time the difference in toxicity between virgin and pollutant-spiked microplastics (MPs) on Aurelia sp. ephyrae jellyfish, recently suggested in the ecotoxicology survey. With this aim, ephyrae were exposed to both virgin polyethylene (PE) MPs and PE-MPs spiked with oxybenzone (BP3), an endocrine disrupting chemical. After 48 hours acute and behavioral responses, namely Immobility and Frequency of pulsation, were investigated. Overall, both virgin and BP-3 spiked PE- MPs at low and high concentrations, affected Immobility and the pulsation mode in ephyrae jellyfish. In conclusion, no synergic effects in PE-MPs due to BP-3 was observed, suggesting that the presence of this chemical at environmental concentration does not increase PE- MP toxicity on marine jellyfish.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics ingestion in the ephyra stage of Aurelia sp. triggers acute and behavioral responses
AI summary Read the abstract
Young jellyfish (Aurelia sp. in the ephyra stage) were shown to ingest microplastics and exhibit acute physiological and behavioral responses, including altered swimming patterns and feeding behavior. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that microplastic ingestion affects jellyfish at an early life stage, with potential implications for their population dynamics.
Ecotoxicological effects of micro and nanoplastics in gelatinous zooplankton
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed ephyra-stage Aurelia sp. jellyfish to polyethylene microplastics (1-4 µm) and polystyrene nanoplastics (100 nm) at concentrations of 0.01-10 mg/L, using 3D holotomographic microscopy to confirm particle ingestion in the gelatinous body and mouth. Only microplastic ingestion affected survival, while both microplastics and nanoplastics impaired pulsation frequency, though full recovery occurred within 24-72 hours after transfer to clean seawater.
Ingestion of polyethylene microspheres occur only in presence of prey in the jellyfish Aurelia aurita
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that jellyfish only ingest polyethylene microspheres when prey is also present, suggesting that accidental microplastic ingestion by jellyfish depends on context rather than being constant. This finding has implications for understanding microplastic uptake pathways in marine food webs.
Toxicity assessment of pollutants sorbed on microplastics using various bioassays on two fish cell lines
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers collected microplastic samples from ocean expeditions and tested their toxicity using two fish cell lines, finding that cell lines differed in sensitivity and that microplastics with sorbed pollutants were toxic to cells. The results suggest that real-world microplastics carrying accumulated chemical pollutants pose a chemical toxicity risk to marine organisms beyond just the physical effects of ingesting plastic.
Trophic transfer of microbeads to jellyfish and the importance of aging microbeads for microplastic experiments
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that jellyfish ephyrae ingested 35 times more microbeads through trophic transfer from Artemia nauplii than by direct ingestion, and that aged microbeads were ingested at higher rates than virgin microbeads, highlighting the importance of realistic aging conditions in microplastic experiments.
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.