The Role of Microplastics in Microalgae Cells Aggregation: A Study at the Molecular Scale Using Atomic Force Microscopy

The role of microplastics in microalgae cells aggregation: A study at the molecular scale using atomic force microscopy

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Atomic force microscopy was used at the molecular scale to study how microplastics interact with microalgae cells and affect their aggregation, finding that plastic particles altered cell surface properties and promoted clumping. The results suggest that microplastics can disrupt the normal behavior of primary producers at the base of aquatic food chains.

Nanoscale Insights into the Impacts of Microplastics on Marine Phytoplankton

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Researchers used atomic force microscopy, physiological measurements, and chemical analysis to reveal how microplastics damage marine phytoplankton at the nanoscale — denting smooth-walled algae, trapping within diatom frustules, and reducing mechanical strength — with silicon limitation amplifying vulnerability by producing weaker, more adhesive cell walls that adsorb more particles.

Species-specific deformation of microalgae in the presence of microplastics

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Atomic force microscopy revealed that environmentally aged microplastics cause species-specific physical deformations in four microalgal species, including cell wall denting, embedding, penetration, and a novel bowl-shaped depression pattern correlated with particle geometry. Physical disruption of microalgae by microplastics threatens foundational marine productivity, since phytoplankton form the base of ocean food webs and produce roughly half of Earth's oxygen.

Effects of Microplastic on the Growth and Nutrient Absorption of Microalgae

Evidence that microplastics at environmentally relevant concentration and size interfere with energy metabolism of microalgal community