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Smells good enough to eat: Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) enhances copepod ingestion of microplastics
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Copepods (Calanus helgolandicus) were exposed to microplastics infused with the algal odor compound dimethyl sulfide (DMS), and showed 72–292% higher ingestion rates of DMS-scented microplastics compared to unscented controls. The findings suggest that environmental conditioning of microplastics with algal-derived compounds triggers chemosensory foraging behavior in copepods, making them actively prefer plastic particles over inert debris.
Marine copepods have been shown to readily ingest microplastics - a crucial first step in the transfer of plastics into the marine food chain. Copepods have also been shown to elicit a foraging behavioural response to the presence of olfactory stimuli, such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) - a volatile compound produced by their algal prey. Here, we show that the temperate Calanoid copepod Calanus helgolandicus displays enhanced grazing rates of between 0.7 and 3-fold (72%-292%) on microplastics that have been infused in a DMS solution, compared to DMS-free controls. Environmental exposure of microplastics may result in the development of an olfactory signature that includes algal-derived compounds such as DMS. Our study provides evidence that copepods, which are known to use chemosensory mechanisms to identify and locate dense sources of palatable prey, may be at an increased risk of plastic ingestion if it mimics the scent of their prey.
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Researchers showed experimentally that marine plastic debris emits dimethyl sulfide — a chemical cue that seabirds use to locate food — which may explain why seabirds and other marine animals frequently mistake plastics for prey. This sensory deception mechanism could account for the widespread ingestion of plastic debris across many marine species.
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This study found that microplastic exposure altered the feeding preferences and fecal characteristics of the copepod Calanus helgolandicus, a key marine zooplankton species. Changes in copepod feeding behavior can affect food web dynamics and the efficiency of carbon transport from surface waters to the deep ocean.
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Microplastics alter feeding selectivity and faecal density in the copepod, Calanus helgolandicus
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Researchers investigated how microplastic ingestion affects feeding selectivity and fecal pellet density in the copepod Calanus helgolandicus. They found that exposure to microplastics altered the copepod's prey selection depending on particle size and shape, and also reduced the density of their fecal pellets. The study suggests that microplastic pollution could disrupt both the feeding behavior of key zooplankton species and the ocean's biological carbon pump by changing how fecal matter sinks.
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