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Microplastics and behavioral changes in fish: an integrative review
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This integrative review synthesizes the scientific literature on how microplastic exposure affects fish behavior, covering feeding, reproduction, predator avoidance, and social interactions. Exposure to microplastics consistently disrupted behavioral endpoints across fish species, with effects linked to oxidative stress, neurotoxicity, and endocrine disruption.
Plastics are materials that persist for a long time in the environment, and their fragments, called microplastics (MPs), are abundant pollutants in marine environments, potentially affecting fish. The objective of this integrative review is to analyze the existing scientific literature to understand the effects of microplastics on behavioral changes in fish, identify the main behavioral alterations in exposed animals, and evaluate the primary types of plastics and their concentrations. The methodology was based on an extensive search of the scientific literature using the combination of descriptors: "microplastics AND fishes AND behavioral changes," utilizing the databases Science Direct, CAPES Periodicals, and Wiley Online Library. A total of 6.401 articles were found, and after all analyses using inclusion and exclusion criteria, 11 articles were included, fully read, and deeply analyzed. The research highlighted the main types of microplastics, their concentrations, and the observed behavioral impacts on different fish species. The results indicate that microplastics significantly affect fish behavior, causing alterations in swimming, locomotion, growth, development, social and reproductive interactions, and physiological and genetic impacts. It is concluded that microplastics represent a substantial threat to aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity.
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This review summarizes how microplastics cause a range of harmful effects in fish, including behavioral changes, brain and immune system damage, oxidative stress, and reproductive disruption through interference with hormone signaling. These findings are relevant to human health because many of the same biological pathways affected in fish also exist in humans, and people consume fish that have accumulated microplastics.
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This short review summarizes current knowledge on microplastic occurrence in fish, covering sources and pathways of ingestion, impacts on fish physiology and behavior, and potential strategies for monitoring and reducing contamination.
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