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Unveiling the effects of microplastics pollution on marine fauna
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This review examines how microplastic pollution harms marine animals at every level of the food chain, from tiny plankton to large predators. Through ingestion, entanglement, and building up in tissues over time, microplastics disrupt feeding, reproduction, and growth in marine life, which also raises concerns about human exposure through seafood consumption.
Abstract Microplastics have emerged as a pervasive environmental concern, threatening the health and stability of marine ecosystems worldwide. Microplastics permeate marine environments through various sources, including fragmentation of larger plastic debris, industrial discharges, and urban runoff. Once introduced into the marine ecosystem, microplastics interact with many organisms across trophic levels, from zooplankton to top predators. Through ingestion, entanglement, and bioaccumulation, microplastics pose direct threats to marine organisms' health, reproductive success, and survival. Moreover, microplastics serve as vectors for persistent organic pollutants, leaching harmful chemicals into the marine environment and exacerbating toxicity risk for marine life. This study highlights the broader ecological implications of microplastic pollution, including disruptions of marine food chain, and degradation of essential habitats such as coral reefs and estuaries. By altering species interactions and habitat structure, microplastics can compromise the resilience and functioning of marine ecosystems, with far-reaching consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem services. With the increase in microplastics in the marine environment it is important to have control measures as well. Comprehensive strategies for managing microplastic pollution should incorporate a combination of conventional approaches, including reduction at the source and targeted interventions to enhance degradation.
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Effects of marine microplastic on marine life and the food webs – A detailed review
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This review provides a comprehensive look at microplastic pollution in marine environments, covering sources, impacts on marine life, and risks to human health through the seafood supply chain. Microplastics cause physical harm like gut blockages in marine animals and can carry toxic chemicals that accumulate up the food chain. The authors emphasize that with global plastic production still rising, urgent policy action and better waste management are needed to protect both ocean ecosystems and human health.
Microplastic pollution in the marine environment: Sources, impacts, and degradation.
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This review summarizes existing research on microplastic pollution in the ocean, covering sources, effects on marine life, and degradation. Microplastics harm marine organisms across the food chain, from plankton to fish, affecting their growth, reproduction, immune systems, and behavior. Since humans consume many of these marine species, the widespread contamination raises concerns about microplastic exposure through seafood.
Ecotoxicological Impacts of Micro and Nanoplastics on Marine Fauna
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This review examines the ecotoxicological impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on marine fauna, detailing how these particles enter food chains through ingestion, accumulate across trophic levels, and cause physical and chemical harm including oxidative stress, inflammation, reproductive disruption, and mortality. The authors highlight the compounding threat when plastics act as vectors for adsorbed pollutants.
Effects of microplastics on aquatic organisms: a comprehensive review
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This comprehensive review analyzed 171 studies on how microplastics affect marine organisms, from tiny plankton to large fish and mammals. Microplastics cause a range of harm including physical gut blockage, chemical toxicity, reduced reproduction, and disrupted feeding behavior across many species. Since marine organisms at every level of the food chain are affected, these findings raise concerns about microplastics accumulating through the seafood that people eat.
Ecological impact of microplastic pollution on marine food webs
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.