We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Developmental Toxicity of Microplastic Leachates on Marine Larvae
Summary
Chemical leachates from microplastics — the chemicals that wash off plastic surfaces — caused developmental abnormalities in marine sea urchin and bryozoan larvae at environmentally relevant concentrations. The findings suggest that chemical leaching from plastics may be as harmful as the particles themselves for marine organisms in early life stages.
Marine plastic pollution is now considered a diverse contaminant suite, differing in product origin, polymer composition, size, morphology, colour, additives and environmental co-contaminants. The environmental hazards associated with marine plastic pollution have been widely documented, however much of the existing research has yet to document developmental abnormalities observed when biota develop in plastic contaminated systems. The effect of microplastic leachate exposure on two marine echinoderms early developmental stages were investigated. Psammechinus milaris and Paracentrotus lividus embryonic and larval cultures were exposed to leachates derived from industrial or environmental exposed plastic pellets to investigate the effect of polymer additives and environmental contaminants. Toxicity was evaluated morphologically using images of live embryos and larvae, along with immunostaining of key developmental tissue groups to determine the extent of impact on a physiological level. This body of work suggests that leachates from pellets exposed to environmental contaminates (biobead and pre-production nurdle pellets) and highly plasticised industrial pellets (polyvinyl chloride) elicit severe, consistent and treatment-specific phenotypes in P. lividus embryonic and larval developmental stages, with impacts on morphogenic processes. Key differences in larvae morphology were documented between plastic types and environmental exposure. Industrial polyvinyl chloride pellets elicited the most pronounced abnormalities from the wild type at 24 hours post-fertilisation. However, leachates from un-plasticised industrial polyethylene pellets showed little differences from the wildtype with regards to developmental timing and abnormalities. Leachates from environmental sourced pellets elicited the most severe developmental delays and abnormalities at 48 hours post-fertilisation. Preliminary chemical analysis was also performed on industrial and beached pellet leachates, to investigate compound composition and to determine possible contributors to the developmental defects. To summarise, the findings suggest industrial and environmental microplastic leachate exposure elicits morphological malformations and specific abnormalities in neural, cilia and muscle tissues groups in both embryonic and larval stages of marine larvae of P. lividus. However, more research and investigation are needed to draw conclusive data.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Assessment of microplastic toxicity to embryonic development of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)
Researchers assessed the toxicity of both virgin and beach-stranded plastic pellets to sea urchin embryo development. The study found that chemical substances leaching from microplastics into surrounding water caused developmental abnormalities, indicating that microplastics can release harmful compounds that affect marine organisms even without direct ingestion.
Plastic leachate-induced toxicity during sea urchin embryonic development: Insights into the molecular pathways affected by PVC
Researchers found that chemical leachates from PVC microplastics disrupted sea urchin embryonic development, revealing molecular pathway alterations in skeletal formation and stress responses that highlight a previously underexplored route of developmental ecotoxicity.
Leachate from microplastics impairs larval development in brown mussels
Researchers investigated the toxic effects of chemical leachate from microplastics on brown mussel larvae, rather than direct ingestion effects. The study found that substances leaching from microplastic particles impaired larval development, indicating that microplastics can cause harm even without being physically consumed by marine organisms.
Developmental toxicity of pre-production plastic pellets affects a large swathe of invertebrate taxa
This study tested the toxicity of chemicals leaching from plastic pre-production pellets (nurdles) on the embryonic development of animals from all major animal groups, including sea urchins, mussels, worms, and crustaceans. The plastic leachates caused developmental problems across nearly all species tested, including disrupted cell formation, abnormal body shapes, and impaired growth. These findings suggest that plastic pollution could have widespread, potentially devastating effects on marine animal populations that humans depend on for food.
The toxicity of microplastics and their leachates to embryonic development of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus
Researchers tested the toxicity of PVC microplastics and the chemicals they leach on sea cucumber embryos and larvae. They found that both the particles and their leachates harmed embryo development and larval growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but the leachates were actually more toxic per unit concentration. The study suggests that the chemicals released from microplastics may pose even greater risks to marine organisms than the physical particles themselves.