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Natural infochemical DMSP stimulates the transfer of microplastics from freshwater zooplankton to fish: An olfactory trap
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A natural algae-derived compound (DMSP) acts as an olfactory cue that causes fish to consume microplastic-laden zooplankton, inadvertently increasing plastic particle transfer up freshwater food chains.
Natural infochemicals may largely affect the trophic transfer of microplastics (MPs) in ecosystems but such infochemical effect and mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, a daphnids-zebrafish freshwater microcosm was designed to elucidate whether and how an algae-derived infochemical, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), affects the ingestion and transfer of MPs. Daphnids fast accumulated DMSP and MPs from water, DMSP in daphnids was mainly enriched from the DMSP in water but not from MPs. DMSP did not change the MP ingestion by daphnids. A low concentration of DMSP (<5 nM) increased predation of daphnids by zebrafish, while a high concentration of DMSP (>50 nM) did not increase predation rates. The MP predation by zebrafish in the 0.5 and 5 nM DMSP treatments were 2.06 and 1.69 times that of the control, respectively. This suggest the DMSP at environmentally relevant concentrations may promote the trophic transfer of MPs in freshwater ecosystem via olfactory traps.
More Papers Like This
Natural infochemical DMSP stimulates the transfer of microplastics from freshwater zooplankton to fish: An olfactory trap
AI summary Read the abstract
A natural algae-derived chemical compound called DMSP acts as an olfactory attractant that causes fish to preferentially consume zooplankton loaded with microplastics, inadvertently accelerating the transfer of plastic particles up the freshwater food chain.
Natural infochemical DMSP stimulates the transfer of microplastics from freshwater zooplankton to fish: An olfactory trap
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Researchers found that the natural algal chemical DMSP stimulates zooplankton to ingest more microplastics and then transfer them to fish through predation — acting as an olfactory trap. This unexpected mechanism accelerates the trophic transfer of microplastics through freshwater food chains, potentially increasing microplastic accumulation in fish consumed by humans.
Contrary to Marine Environments, Common Microplastics in Freshwater Systems May Not Emit Dimethyl Sulfide: An Important Infochemical
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This study found that, unlike in marine environments where microplastics emit dimethyl sulfide signals that attract foragers, common microplastics in freshwater systems do not appear to produce such chemical cues. This suggests that microplastic ingestion in freshwater species may occur through different mechanisms than the olfactory pathways implicated in marine environments.
Plastic Litter Emits the Foraging Infochemical Dimethyl Sulfide after Submersion in Freshwater Rivers.
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Plastic litter submerged in freshwater rivers was found to emit dimethyl sulfide (DMS), the same odorous chemical that marine organisms use as a foraging cue and that has been shown to attract wildlife to plastic in the ocean. This suggests that the same chemical signaling mechanism may be causing freshwater invertebrates and fish to mistake plastic debris for food.
Bioavailability of Microplastics to Marine Zooplankton: Effect of Shape and Infochemicals
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The influence of microplastic shape (bead, fiber, and fragment) and algal infochemicals (DMS and DMSP) on microplastic ingestion by marine zooplankton was investigated. Shape significantly affected ingestion rates, and infochemicals influenced zooplankton feeding behavior in ways that altered microplastic uptake, revealing how chemical cues in the ocean shape plastic particle ingestion.
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