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Influence of Microplastics on the Growth and the Intestinal Microbiota Composition of Brine Shrimp
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Researchers exposed brine shrimp to polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics and found that both types significantly reduced growth rates, with body length decreasing by 15-18%. The study also revealed that microplastic ingestion altered the gut microbiota composition, increasing microbial diversity and shifting the balance of key bacterial groups in the shrimp intestines.
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment and can be frequently ingested by zooplankton, leading to various effects. Brine shrimp (Artemia parthenogenetica) has an important role in the energy flow through trophic levels in different seawater systems. In this work, the influence of polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) MPs on the growth of brine shrimp and corresponding changes of gut microbiota were investigated. Our results showed that the MPs remarkably reduced the growth rate of brine shrimp, and the two types of MPs have different impacts. The average body length of brine shrimps was reduced by 17.92 and 14.95% in the PE group and PS group, respectively. MPs are mainly found in the intestine, and their exposure evidently affects the gut microbiota. By using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, 32 phyla of bacteria were detected in the intestine, and the microbiome consisted mainly of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. MPs' exposure significantly increased the gut microbial diversity. For the PE group, the proportion of Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes increased by 45.26 and 2.73%, respectively. For the PS group, it was 54.95 and 1.27%, respectively. According to the analysis on genus level, the proportions of Ponticoccus, Seohaeicola, Polycyclovorans, and Methylophaga decreased by 46.38, 1.24, 1.07, and 2.66%, respectively, for the PE group and 57.87, 1.43, 0.88, and 2.24%, respectively, for the PS group. In contrast, the proportions of Stappia, Microbacterium, and Dietzia increased by 1.12, 23.27, and 11.59%, respectively, for the PE group, and 1.09, 3.79, and 42.96%, respectively, for the PS group. These experimental results demonstrated that the ingestion of MPs by brine shrimp can alter the composition of the gut microbiota and lead to a slow growth rate. This study provides preliminary data support for understanding the biotoxicity of MPs to invertebrate zooplankton and is conducive to the further risk assessment of MP exposure.
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Researchers exposed brine shrimp (Artemia salina) to polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations under varying nutritional conditions and analyzed microbiome and metabolic responses. Accumulation and clearance were concentration-dependent, while nutritional status modulated MP uptake; combined microbiome and metabolomics analysis revealed disruptions in microbial community composition and metabolic function.
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Scientists found that when tiny brine shrimp ate microplastics, it hurt their growth, weakened their immune systems, and threw their gut bacteria out of balance—but one specific gut bacterium helped counteract the damage. While this study was done in shrimp, not humans, it hints that the trillions of bacteria living in our own guts might play a similar protective role when we're exposed to microplastics, which are increasingly found in our food and water.
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Brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics ingested and bioaccumulated the particles, which also affected their feeding behavior on microalgae and caused changes in gut microbiota. These effects on a widely used aquaculture species raise concerns about nanoplastic contamination in marine food production.
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This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics affect shrimp health, covering impacts on growth, immune function, gut bacteria, and antioxidant defenses. Researchers found that plastic exposure can impair shrimp physiology through multiple pathways, with implications for both aquaculture productivity and seafood safety. The study highlights the need for more research on how plastic pollution in coastal waters threatens shrimp populations that are important for both ecosystems and human nutrition.
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