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Toxicity effects and mechanism of micro/nanoplastics and loaded conventional pollutants on zooplankton: An overview
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This review summarizes how microplastics and nanoplastics harm zooplankton, the tiny animals at the base of aquatic food chains, through physical blockage, oxidative stress, gene disruption, and reproductive damage. The effects are worse when microplastics carry other pollutants like heavy metals or pesticides on their surfaces. Since zooplankton are eaten by fish that humans consume, damage to these organisms can transfer microplastic contamination up the food chain to people.
Micro/nanoplastics in aquatic environments is a noteworthy environmental problem. Zooplankton, an important biological group in aquatic ecosystems, readily absorb micro/nanoplastics and produce a range of toxic endpoints due to their small size. This review summarises relevant studies on the effects of micro/nanoplastics on zooplankton, including combined effects with conventional pollutants. Frequently reported adverse effects include acute/chronic lethal effects, oxidative stress, gene expression, energetic homeostasis, and growth and reproduction. Obstruction by plastic entanglement and blockage is the physical mechanism. Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity are molecular mechanisms. Properties of micro/nanoplastics, octanol/water partition coefficients of conventional pollutants, species and intestinal environments are important factors influencing single and combined toxicity. Selecting a wider range of micro/nanoplastics, focusing on the aging process and conducting field studies, adopting diversified zooplankton models, and further advancing the study of mechanisms are the outstanding prospects for deeper understanding of impacts of micro/nanoplastics on aquatic ecosystem.
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The Impacts of Microplastics on Zooplankton
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This review examines the growing concern about microplastic impacts on marine and freshwater zooplankton, noting that these tiny organisms can ingest microplastics and are at the base of most aquatic food webs. Plastic ingestion can cause gut blockages, immune responses, energy loss, and reduced reproduction, with potential cascading effects on ecosystems and the species—including fish and humans—that feed on zooplankton.
Ecotoxicological effects of traditional and emerging microplastics on marine zooplankton: A review
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics harm marine zooplankton (tiny animals that form a critical link in ocean food chains) at the molecular level, covering effects like metabolic disruption, oxidative stress, immune damage, and neurotoxicity — and extended the review to include emerging plastics like tire-wear particles and antifouling paint particles that are often overlooked. The review calls for moving beyond treating all microplastics as identical, since their varying physical and chemical properties produce very different toxic effects.
Micro(nano)plastics Prevalence, Food Web Interactions, and Toxicity Assessment in Aquatic Organisms: A Review
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This review examines the prevalence of micro- and nanoplastics across aquatic environments and their documented toxic effects on organisms ranging from plankton to fish, including DNA damage, reproductive harm, and neurotoxicity. Researchers found clear evidence that these particles transfer through aquatic food webs and can ultimately reach humans through seafood consumption. The study calls for more research into how microplastics carrying multiple contaminants cause combined toxic effects in marine organisms.
Biological Effects of Microplastics: A Review.
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics harm a wide range of living things, finding they cause physical damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, and reproductive problems in aquatic animals, while also carrying toxic chemicals and dangerous bacteria into organisms. Major gaps remain in understanding the effects of long-term low-dose exposure and the risks posed by even tinier nanoplastics.
Unraveling the ecotoxicological effects of micro and nano-plastics on aquatic organisms and human health
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This review summarizes the growing body of evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics affect aquatic organisms and, through the food chain, potentially human health. The tiny plastic particles absorb toxic pollutants and pathogens from the water, acting as carriers that deliver these harmful substances into the bodies of fish, shellfish, and other organisms. The review highlights that both direct plastic toxicity and indirect chemical exposure through contaminated seafood pose risks to human consumers.
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