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Sub-acute exposure to nanoplastics via two-chain trophic transfer: From brine shrimp Artemia franciscana to small yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis
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Researchers studied the trophic transfer of nanoplastics from brine shrimp to small yellow croaker fish over an eight-day feeding experiment. The fish exposed to nanoplastics through their prey showed inhibited growth, severe liver damage, and impaired swimming ability. The study demonstrates that nanoplastics can accumulate through marine food chains and cause measurable harm to predator species.
This study investigated the trophic transfer of nanoplastics in marine food chains. We fed nanoplastic-exposed Artemia franciscana (brine shrimp) to Larimichthys polyactis (small yellow croaker) daily for eight days. Subsequently, the overall health condition, histopathological damage to the liver and digestive tract, and swimming ability of the fish were measured. After the sub-acute exposure to nanoplastics via trophic transfer, the fish showed inhibited growth, severe liver damage, as well as a poorer swimming ability compared to the control. The swimming ability was especially affected, in terms of the overall movement as well as thigmotaxis. The results thus clarified that even an indirect exposure to nanoplastics could induce neurotoxic effects and affect the swimming ability of the fish. As fish are well-known human food resources, the possibility of such trophic transfers affecting higher trophic level organisms, such as humans, cannot be ruled out.
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Trophic transfer of nanoplastics through a microalgae–crustacean–small yellow croaker food chain: Inhibition of digestive enzyme activity in fish
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Researchers tracked how nanoplastics move through a marine food chain from microalgae to crustaceans to fish, demonstrating that plastic particles transfer upward through feeding relationships. The nanoplastics accumulated at each level and ultimately inhibited digestive enzyme activity in the fish. The study suggests that nanoplastics could eventually reach humans through seafood consumption via this same trophic transfer process.
Trophic transfer and individual impact of nano-sized polystyrene in a four-species freshwater food chain
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Researchers traced nano-sized polystyrene plastics through a four-species freshwater food chain — from algae to water fleas to two fish species — finding that nanoplastics transferred at each level and caused reduced activity, liver damage in fish, and penetration into fish embryos. The results highlight the broad ecological and health risks of nanoplastics moving up through aquatic food webs.
Trophic transfer of micro- and nanoplastics and toxicity induced by long-term exposure of nanoplastics along the rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis)-marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) food chain
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In a food chain study, researchers found that the smallest nanoplastics (70 nm) accumulated in fish at nearly double the rate of larger microplastics when passed through a prey organism first. Long-term exposure through the food chain caused liver inflammation, disrupted fat and energy metabolism, and impaired reproduction in the fish. This shows how tiny plastics can build up and cause harm as they move through the food web, which is relevant to humans who eat seafood.
Nanoplastics impair the intestinal health of the juvenile large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea
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Researchers exposed juvenile large yellow croaker fish to nano-sized polystyrene particles to assess impacts on intestinal health and growth. The study found that nanoplastics accumulated in the fish and caused disorders in digestion, antioxidant defenses, immune function, and intestinal microflora, indicating that nanoplastics can significantly impair gut health in commercially important marine fish species.
Trophic transfer of nanoplastics reduces larval survival of marine fish more than waterborne exposure
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Researchers compared the effects of waterborne versus trophic (food chain) exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics on larvae of red sea bream and found that trophic transfer reduced larval survival more severely than direct waterborne exposure. The results underscore the importance of dietary exposure pathways in assessing nanoplastic risk to marine fish.
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