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Uptake and Effects of Nanoplastics on the Dinoflagellate Gymnodinium corollarium
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This study exposed the marine dinoflagellate Gymnodinium corollarium to nanoplastics and found that, although the organism can ingest particles via phagotrophy, nanoplastic uptake disrupted cell growth and photosynthesis, highlighting the vulnerability of unicellular marine organisms to nanoplastic pollution.
Plastic nanoparticles (NPs) are the final state of plastic degradation in the environment before they disintegrate into low-molecular-weight organic compounds. Unicellular organisms are highly sensitive to the toxic effects of nanoplastics, because they are often capable of phagotrophy but are unable to consume a foreign material such as synthetic plastic. We studied the effect of polystyrene, poly(vinyl chloride), poly(methyl acrylate), and poly(methyl methacrylate) NPs on the photosynthetic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium corollarium Sundström, Kremp et Daugbjerg. Fluorescent tagged particles were used to visualize plastic capture by dinoflagellate cells. We found that these dinoflagellates are capable of phagotrophic nutrition and thus should be regarded as mixotrophic species. This causes their susceptibility to the toxic effects of plastic NPs. Living cells ingest plastic NPs and accumulate in the cytoplasm as micrometer-level aggregates, probably in food vacuoles. The action of nanoplastics leads to a dose-dependent increase in the level of reactive oxygen species in dinoflagellate cells, indicating plastic degradation in the cells. The introduction of a methyl group into the main chain in the α-position in the case of poly(methyl methacrylate) causes a drastic reduction in toxicity. We expect that such NPs can be a tool for testing unicellular organisms in terms of heterotrophic feeding ability. We suggest a dual role of dinoflagellates in the ecological fate of plastic waste: the involvement of nanoplastics in the food chain and its biochemical destruction. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:1124-1133. © 2023 SETAC.
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Response of coral reef dinoflagellates to nanoplastics under experimental conditions
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Researchers exposed symbiotic dinoflagellates from coral reefs to polystyrene nanoplastics and found that cell growth and aggregation were significantly reduced after 10 days. The findings suggest that nanoplastic pollution could harm the tiny algae that are essential to coral reef health, with potential consequences for reef ecosystems.
Response of Coral Reef Dinoflagellates to Nanoplastics under Experimental Conditions Suggests Downregulation of Cellular Metabolism
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Coral reef dinoflagellates were exposed to nanoplastics under controlled laboratory conditions to examine effects on cell growth, aggregation, and physiology. The study found that nanoplastic exposure altered dinoflagellate behavior and cellular responses, with implications for reef symbiotic relationships that depend on algal health.
Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Growth and Grazing Rates Reduced by Microplastic Ingestion
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Researchers found that polystyrene microplastic ingestion significantly reduced the growth and grazing rates of heterotrophic dinoflagellates, suggesting that microplastic pollution could disrupt marine microbial food webs at the single-celled predator level.
Energy metabolism response induced by microplastic for marine dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi
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Researchers examined how different sizes and types of plastic particles affect the energy metabolism of the marine dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi. The study found that smaller polystyrene particles caused greater damage to cell membrane potential, increased polysaccharide content, and weakened ATPase activity, indicating that nano-scale plastics have a more pronounced impact on cellular energy metabolism than larger microplastics.
Effects of Microplastics Exposure on the Feeding of the Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Species Noctiluca scintillans
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Researchers discovered that the red-tide-forming dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans feeds non-selectively on microplastics alongside algal prey, with ingestion rates cut nearly in half when microplastics were present, suggesting that plastic pollution disrupts feeding behavior in a key marine microorganism.
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