We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Integrating microplastics into thermal biology in an insect
Summary
Researchers fed field crickets nylon microfilaments at different temperatures to assess how warming and microplastic exposure interact, finding that while warmer animals ate more, they did not absorb more microplastics, but microplastic consumption shifted resource allocation toward self-maintenance at the expense of desiccation tolerance and reproduction.
Microplastics (MPs) are small-sized (< 5 mm) bits of plastic present in all types of environments, including terrestrial ecosystems that are rapidly warming. Yet, the biological interplay between MPs and temperature is poorly understood in terrestrial animals. Here, we addressed three hypotheses to determine how: (1) temperature influences biological responses to MPs, (2) MPs influence thermal biology, and (3) temperature and MPs combine to influence the acquisition and allocation of resources. Specifically, we fed field crickets (Gryllus lineaticeps) different concentrations of nylon (polyamide) microfilaments while they were maintained at 23 °C, 28 °C, or 33 °C. Despite ingesting 2.5-fold more MPs, warmer individuals did not absorb more MPs into their bodies. Exposure to MPs increased investment into somatic tissue and self-maintenance, but individuals consuming MPs still had lower desiccation tolerance. Warming and MPs both promoted food consumption, but they differentially affected the life-history tradeoff between investment into self-maintenance vs. reproduction. In sum, appetite, life-history strategy, and dynamics in the digestive tract may be critical to animals simultaneously exposed to warming and MPs.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Physiological and behavioural responses of aquatic organisms to microplastics and experimental warming
Researchers tested how microplastic exposure combined with different water temperatures affected the breathing, feeding, and movement of two common freshwater invertebrates. They found that while temperature had strong effects on all measured behaviors, microplastics caused additional changes in feeding rates and movement patterns that varied between species. The study highlights that the biological effects of microplastics may be amplified or altered under warming climate conditions.
Warming, temperature fluctuations and thermal evolution change the effects of microplastics at an environmentally relevant concentration
Researchers examined how warming temperatures, daily temperature fluctuations, and thermal evolutionary history influence the effects of microplastics on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that while microplastics had almost no effect under standard laboratory temperature conditions, exposure under more realistic warming scenarios caused significant changes to reproduction, heart rate, and swimming behaviour. The study suggests that current risk assessments conducted at constant laboratory temperatures may substantially underestimate the ecological impact of microplastic pollution.
The thermal regime modifies the response of aquatic keystone species Daphnia to microplastics: Evidence from population fitness, accumulation, histopathological analysis and candidate gene expression
Researchers found that temperature plays a key role in how toxic microplastics are to the water flea Daphnia magna. Microplastic exposure caused increased mortality, reduced reproduction, and slower population growth, with these negative effects becoming much more pronounced at higher temperatures. The study suggests that warming water temperatures due to climate change may amplify the harmful impacts of microplastic pollution on aquatic ecosystems.
Interactive effects of warming and microplastics on metabolism but not feeding rates of a key freshwater detritivore
Freshwater detritivores were exposed to microplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations under two temperature conditions to separate and combine effects, finding that warming and microplastics interacted to significantly increase metabolic rates but had no combined effect on feeding rates. The results highlight the importance of considering multiple stressors when assessing freshwater organism responses to microplastics under climate change.
The impact of microplastics on tissue-specific gene expression in the tropical house cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus
Researchers fed microplastics to tropical house crickets and measured gene expression changes across four different tissue types. They found that microplastic consumption triggered unique responses in each tissue, with notable changes in genes related to stress, immunity, metabolism, and even cancer pathways. The study demonstrates that microplastic exposure affects different organs in distinct ways, highlighting the complexity of how plastic pollution impacts living organisms.