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Microplastics in Antarctic echinoderms: A rapid narrative review and call for field-based research
Summary
This narrative review examined current evidence for microplastic contamination in Antarctic echinoderms, finding limited but growing data suggesting MP accumulation in these ecologically important benthic organisms, and calling for systematic field studies to characterize contamination across Antarctic shelf communities.
Microplastics have been detected across Antarctic environment, yet their impacts on key benthic taxa remain poorly understood. Echinoderms, of which are a dominating group of megafauna found in Antarctic shelf and deep-sea communities, play crucial roles in sediment turnover and nutrient cycling, both of which may be vulnerable to disruption from plastic contamination. This rapid narrative review evaluates global evidence of microplastic ingestion and impacts in echinoderms and examines the extent of Antarctic-specific research. While studies from temperate and tropical regions suggest echinoderms readily ingest microplastics, no in situ data currently exist for Antarctic species. Only one laboratory-based study has explored physiological responses to nanoplastics in an Antarctic echinoderm. Given their ecological significance and likely exposure routes, this review highlights a critical research gap and calls for targeted, field-based investigations to assess microplastic uptake, retention, and sub-lethal effects in Antarctic echinoderms.