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The Impact of Polystyrene Microplastics on Filtration Rate in the Marine Copepod Acartia tonsa
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This study tested whether polystyrene microplastic beads affect filtration rate in the marine copepod Acartia tonsa, an ecologically important zooplankton species at the base of marine food webs. Understanding whether microplastics impair feeding in copepods is critical because disruptions to copepod grazing can cascade through entire marine food chains.
Microplastic particles are of increasing environmental concern around the globe and recent studies have shown that these particles are present in the entire water column, thus affecting a range of zooplankton including copepods that have a vital role in the marine food web. This study investigated whether microplastic beads have an effect in the filtration rate in the copepod Acartia tonsa, which was collected outside of Ålabodarna located in Oresund. The copepods were exposed to three different solutions during a period of 48h. One group contained solely 10μm of microplastic beads with a concentration of 130 beads per milliliter, the second one contained only a cultured algae mixture with a concentration of 1300 cells per milliliter and the third group contained both plastic beads and algae with the same concentrations as mentioned above. The amount of particles in every container from each group was counted for at t0, t24 and t48. The results showed no significant difference between the groups in the net change in their filtration rate but indicated that their overall survival decreased when being exposed to microplastics. The study concludes that more research is needed to understand what kind of impacts microplastics might have on the copepods filtration rate.
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Microplastics reduce net population growth and fecal pellet sinking rates for the marine copepod, Acartia tonsa
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Researchers studied the effects of polystyrene microplastic ingestion on the marine copepod Acartia tonsa across its life stages. They found that microplastic exposure reduced net population growth, impaired fecundity and egg quality, and decreased fecal pellet sinking rates, suggesting that microplastics could disrupt both zooplankton populations and the carbon settling process in marine ecosystems.
Consumption Of Microplastics Impacts The Growth And Fecal Properties Of The Marine Copepod, Acartia Tonsa
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Lab experiments found that marine copepods (Acartia tonsa) fed polystyrene microplastic beads showed reduced growth and produced smaller, less carbon-rich fecal pellets compared to controls. This is significant because copepod fecal pellets are an important mechanism for transporting carbon from the ocean surface to the deep sea, suggesting microplastics could disrupt marine carbon cycling.
Impact of polystyrene microplastics on major marine primary (phytoplankton) and secondary producers (copepod)
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Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics reduced the growth of marine microalgae and negatively impacted copepod survival, demonstrating harmful effects on both primary and secondary producers at the base of the marine food web.
The impact of polystyrene microplastics on feeding, function and fecundity in the marine copepod Calanus helgolandicus.
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Marine copepods (Calanus helgolandicus) exposed to 20 µm polystyrene beads at 75 particles/mL ingested 11% fewer algal cells and 40% less carbon biomass, and shifted toward smaller prey. Fecundity was also reduced, suggesting microplastic ingestion could impair energy transfer through this critical trophic link.
The Impact of Polystyrene Microplastics on Feeding, Function and Fecundity in the Marine Copepod Calanus helgolandicus
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Researchers exposed a key marine copepod species to polystyrene microplastics and measured the effects on feeding, egg production, and offspring survival. They found that microplastic ingestion significantly reduced the amount of algae the copepods consumed, lowered their reproductive output, and decreased the hatching success of their eggs. Since copepods are a foundational link in marine food webs, these effects could have cascading consequences for ocean ecosystems.
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