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No effects of plasticized microplastics on the body condition and reproduction of a marine fish
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Researchers found no significant effects of plasticized microplastics on body condition or reproductive success in a terrestrial animal model, suggesting that plasticizers associated with microplastics may not impair these endpoints at tested concentrations. The findings contribute to understanding the ecological risk of microplastic-associated chemical additives.
Abstract This study experimentally explored the influence of periodic consumption of polystyrene (PS) microplastic fragments on the body condition and fitness of a tropical marine fish. Adult damselfish, Acanthochromis polyacanthus, were pulse fed microplastic fragments bound with one of two different common plasticizers [di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), di-2-ethylhexyl terephthalate (DEHT)] together with virgin-plastic and no-plastic controls. Ingestion of plastic over a 150d period had no detectable effect on growth, indices of body condition, or gonadosomatic indices. Histology of the liver showed no detrimental effects of ingesting any of the plastic treatments on hepatocyte density or vacuolation. Plastic consumption had no effect on the number of clutches produced over the breeding period, the number of eggs, or the survival of embryos. It is believed that the relatively inert nature of PS, the low amount of plasticizers leached from the fragments and fast gut through-put times meant fish were exposed to low levels of toxic compounds.
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Microplastics do not affect the feeding rates of a marine predator
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Researchers exposed a marine predatory fish to microplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations and measured feeding rate, finding no significant effect on prey capture behavior, suggesting that concerns about microplastics disrupting predator feeding may not apply at current environmental concentrations.
Virgin microplastics are not causing imminent harm to fish after dietary exposure
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Researchers exposed adult fish to environmentally relevant concentrations of virgin microplastics through their diet over an extended period and found no significant adverse effects on growth, condition, or organ health. The study suggests that clean, unweathered microplastics at realistic concentrations may not cause immediate harm to adult fish, though the authors note that weathered or chemically contaminated particles could produce different outcomes.
Negligible additive effect of environmental concentrations of fragmented polyethylene terephthalate microplastics on the growth and reproductive performance of Java medaka exposed to 17β-estradiol and bisphenol A
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Researchers exposed Java medaka fish to PET microplastics combined with endocrine-disrupting chemicals over 200 days. The study found that at environmentally relevant concentrations, fragmented PET microplastics showed negligible additional effects beyond those caused by the chemicals alone, suggesting that the direct endocrine-disrupting impact of PET microplastics at low concentrations may be limited.
Impact of Microplastics on Reproductive and Physiological Aspects of Aquatic Inhabitants
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Researchers reviewed how microplastic exposure affects reproduction and physiology in freshwater aquatic organisms, finding that plastic particles disrupt hormonal signaling, reduce fertility, and impair development across a range of sensitive freshwater species.
Evaluating microplastic particles as vectors of exposure for plastic additive chemicals using a food web model
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Researchers used a bioaccumulation model to estimate how much chemical exposure humans and wildlife receive specifically from ingesting microplastic particles — versus other environmental routes — and found that microplastics only become a meaningful source of chemical additives when ingestion rates are high and the plastic contains substantial concentrations of hydrophobic chemicals. The work helps clarify when microplastics are a significant chemical vector, finding that health risks from this pathway are likely negligible at currently estimated ingestion rates.
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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.