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Unveiling the multilevel impact of four water-soluble polymers on Daphnia magna: From proteome to behaviour (a case study)
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This study investigated the effects of four common water-soluble polymers, including polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene glycol, on the freshwater organism Daphnia magna. Researchers found that these widely used industrial chemicals can affect the organisms at multiple biological levels, from protein expression changes to altered swimming behavior, indicating that water-soluble polymers deserve more attention as aquatic pollutants.
The ubiquitous presence of water-soluble polymers (WSPs) in freshwater environments raises concerns regarding potential threats to aquatic organisms. This study investigated, for the first time, the effects of widely used WSPs -polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyacrylic acid (PAA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG)- using a multi-level approach in the freshwater biological model Daphnia magna. This integrated assessment employed a suite of biomarkers, evaluation of swimming behaviour, and proteomic analysis to investigate the effects of three environmentally relevant concentrations (0.001, 0.5, and 1 mg/L) of the tested WSPs from molecular to organismal levels, assessing both acute and chronic effects. Our findings reveal that exposure to different WSPs induces specific responses at each biological level, with PEG being the only WSP inducing lethal effects at 0.5 mg/L. At the physiological level, although all WSPs impacted both swimming performance and heart rate of D. magna specimens, PAA exhibited the greatest effects on the measured behavioural parameters. Furthermore, proteomic analyses demonstrated altered protein profiles following exposure to all WSPs, with PVA emerging as the most effective.
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Beyond microplastics: Water soluble synthetic polymers exert sublethal adverse effects in the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna
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Researchers exposed the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna to five water-soluble synthetic polymers commonly used as industrial flocculants and coagulants, finding sublethal life history changes and elevated reactive oxygen species levels without acute mortality. Because daphnids are keystone species controlling phytoplankton biomass, these sublethal effects could produce cascading trophic consequences, highlighting water-soluble polymers as a neglected class of aquatic contaminants.
Transgenerational effects of water-soluble polymers on Daphnia magna at environmentally relevant concentrations: The role of multigenerational plasticity
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Researchers exposed Daphnia magna water fleas to environmentally relevant concentrations (1 µg/L) of water-soluble polymers PEG and PVA across three generations, finding that PEG initially reduced reproduction and increased DNA methylation in the first generation, but subsequent generations showed compensatory recovery. These findings suggest multigenerational epigenetic plasticity and highlight the need for regulatory oversight of water-soluble polymers.
Beyond microplastics: Water soluble synthetic polymers exert sublethal adverse effects in the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna
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Researchers found that water-soluble synthetic polymers, an overlooked category of plastic pollution, caused sublethal adverse effects in Daphnia magna including reduced reproduction and feeding rates, highlighting a previously unrecognized environmental risk beyond conventional microplastics.
The Effects of Polyethylene and Polypropylene Microplastics on Daphnia dentifera
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Researchers examined the effects of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics on the body size, swim speed, and clonal growth rate of the freshwater crustacean Daphnia dentifera, assessing sublethal physiological and behavioural impacts of two common plastic polymer types.
Beyond microplastics: Water soluble synthetic polymers exert sublethal adverse effects in the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna - experimental Dataset
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This is a duplicate dataset entry for the study on water-soluble synthetic polymer effects on Daphnia magna. The data support findings that dissolved synthetic polymers can cause sublethal harm to freshwater invertebrates.
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