Mixotrophic flagellate ingestion boosts microplastic accumulation in ascidians

Microplastics are contaminants of global environmental concern. They can be ingested by a variety of organisms when they enter the food web. Several studies have reported trophic transfer of microplastics from low trophic levels to higher ones. Bioaccumulation has been suggested to occur but few studies have demonstrated it for marine environments. In this article, in controlled laboratory conditions, we exposed filter-feeder ascidian juveniles to microplastics in the presence or in absence of mixotrophic cryptomonad flagellates. Cryptomonads can efficiently ingest microbeads, and their presence significantly increased the concentration of microplastics in the digestive tract of the ascidians. Our results demonstrate the occurrence of microplastic bioaccumulation in the lower levels of the marine trophic chain and suggest that unicellular organisms can be key actors in microplastic trophic transfer at the microscale level.