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Exploring interaction, uptake and impacts
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This chapter reviewed current understanding of microplastic uptake by diverse organisms from unicellular species to megafauna, critically evaluating evidence for lethal and non-lethal effects across taxa. The review highlighted methodological considerations for assessing microplastic bioavailability and toxic effects on individual organisms across the animal kingdom.
Their small size, ubiquitous distribution and high abundance in the environment have increased the potential for microplastics to interact with plants, animals and fungi, with those organisms affected ranging from the unicellular to the true megafauna. Subsequently this acute exposures have been seen to result in a range of lethal and non-lethal effects. This chapter will establish our current understanding of microplastic uptake by biota and critically evaluate the literature regarding the known effect of microplastics on individual organisms, highlighting and evaluating the various methods by which these interactions and impacts were measured before presenting an idealised workflow for key taxa.
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This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic pollution, examining the mechanisms by which microplastics affect organisms at multiple levels of biological organization and how plastic particles transfer through trophic chains, accumulating and potentially magnifying in concentration up the food web. Researchers highlight evidence for physical, chemical, and microbial impacts on organisms ranging from invertebrates to mammals, including humans, and identify priority areas for future ecotoxicological research.
Animals and Microplastics
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This chapter reviews the wide range of animals known to ingest microplastics across terrestrial and aquatic environments, examining exposure pathways, habitat characteristics, and interactions that lead to plastic uptake. The review synthesizes evidence that microplastic ingestion is widespread across taxonomic groups and ecosystems globally.
Microplastics in the Environment: Uptake, Bioaccumulation and Impacts on Plants, Animals and Humans Health: A Review
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This review examines microplastic uptake, bioaccumulation, and health impacts across plants, animals, and humans. The study summarizes current evidence on how microplastic particles smaller than 5 mm have been detected in all environmental compartments and are entering biological systems through multiple exposure pathways.
Ingestion of Microplastics by Marine Animals
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This review examines microplastic ingestion by marine animals, assessing how the small size and ubiquity of microplastics in oceans leads to widespread consumption across species, with effects ranging from physical gut blockage to chemical toxicity at organism and ecosystem levels.
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This ecotoxicological review examines the effects of microplastics on living organisms across multiple trophic levels and their transfer through food webs, covering evidence from aquatic and terrestrial environments. The authors highlight the cumulative risks posed by microplastic ingestion and tissue accumulation.
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.