Microplastics Shift Macrobenthic Community Structures Near a Coastal Nuclear Power Plant Under Construction In  North East China

Microplastics shift macrobenthic community structures near a coastal nuclear power plant under construction in North East China

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Researchers investigated microplastic pollution in coastal sediments near a nuclear power plant under construction in Northeast China and found that microplastic contamination shifted macrobenthic community structures, with land-based sources driving spatial distribution patterns across 20 sampling stations.

Small-sized microplastics drive structural shifts in aquatic communities: Evidence from the Wei River Basin

First Evidence of Microplastics in the Deep-Sea Barnacle in the Indonesian Throughflow Region

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Scientists found tiny plastic bits and fibers, likely from fishing gear, inside about one-third of deep-sea barnacles living 200 meters below the surface in Indonesian waters, showing that plastic pollution reaches even remote deep-sea creatures we rarely think about. Since barnacles are a food source for other marine animals (and some end up in the seafood we eat), this suggests microplastics are working their way through ocean food webs in ways scientists are still working to understand.

Microplastic pollution and its impact on marine microbes in Zhanjiang, China

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Analysis of offshore sediments near Zhanjiang, China, found microplastics dominated by polyamides, polyurethanes, and polyethylene in the 10–50 micrometer size range, with microbial community diversity and species richness measurably reduced in contaminated areas. Functional prediction analyses indicated that microplastic presence disrupts key microbial processes including nitrogen cycling and respiration, threatening foundational ecosystem services in coastal marine sediments.

Microplastics Abundance in Aquatic Environment and its Impact on Macrobenthos

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Researchers reviewed how microplastic pollution affects macrobenthic communities across marine and freshwater ecosystems, documenting impaired feeding, oxidative damage, and developmental defects in organisms ranging from sponges and corals to mollusks, crustaceans, and echinoderms.