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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Marine & Wildlife
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Do microplastics affect marine ecosystem productivity?
Marine Pollution Bulletin2018
73 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 35
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Tineke A. Troost,
Tineke A. Troost,
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
M.D. van der Meulen,
M.D. van der Meulen,
M.D. van der Meulen,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
M.D. van der Meulen,
M.D. van der Meulen,
M.D. van der Meulen,
Térence Desclaux,
Térence Desclaux,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
M.D. van der Meulen,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
M.D. van der Meulen,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
Tineke A. Troost,
H.A. Leslie
H.A. Leslie
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
Tineke A. Troost,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
A. Dick Vethaak,
H.A. Leslie
Summary
This study estimated the potential impact of microplastics on marine ecosystem productivity (algae and zooplankton growth) by synthesizing lab toxicity data. The analysis suggested that current environmental microplastic concentrations may reduce primary productivity in some ocean regions, with knock-on effects up the food chain.
Marine and coastal ecosystems are among the largest contributors to the Earth's productivity. Experimental studies have shown negative impacts of microplastics on individual algae or zooplankton organisms. Consequently, primary and secondary productivity may be negatively affected as well. In this study we attempted to estimate the impacts on productivity at ecosystem level based on reported laboratory findings with a modelling approach, using our biogeochemical model for the North Sea (Delft3D-GEM). Although the model predicted that microplastics do not affect the total primary or secondary production of the North Sea as a whole, the spatial patterns of secondary production were altered, showing local changes of ±10%. However, relevant field data on microplastics are scarce, and strong assumptions were required to include the plastic concentrations and their impacts under field conditions into the model. These assumptions reveal the main knowledge gaps that have to be resolved to improve the first estimate above.