Sea cucumber response to microplastic pollution

Impact of Microplastics on the Physiology of Benthos

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Researchers reviewed how microplastic pollution harms bottom-dwelling aquatic organisms, summarizing evidence that benthic species face widespread physiological disruption from microplastic ingestion and accumulation, with broader implications for aquatic biodiversity.

Microplastics in Biota

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Microplastics have been detected in biota across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, demonstrating their ability to enter food webs at multiple trophic levels. Their omnipresence in living organisms raises concerns about bioaccumulation of both the plastic particles and the chemical additives and adsorbed pollutants they carry.

Microplastics in Biota

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Researchers summarized evidence that microplastics have infiltrated living organisms across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, posing a broad threat to biodiversity. Their persistence in biological tissues means they can accumulate up the food chain, ultimately reaching humans through diet.

Effects of Microplastic Ingestion on Manila Clams

The Impact of Microplastics on Marine Copepods

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Marine copepods, a foundational link in ocean food webs, ingest microplastics alongside natural prey, causing reduced feeding, reproductive impairment, and energy depletion that can cascade up through fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. Because copepods transfer energy from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels, their contamination with microplastics poses systemic risks to entire marine food chains.