We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastic ingestion by copepods in a coastal environment of the Gulf of California, Mexico
ClearIn situ microplastic ingestion by neritic zooplankton of the central Mexican Pacific
Researchers documented in situ microplastic ingestion by zooplankton in two bays of the central Mexican Pacific, finding that copepods, decapod larvae, and chaetognaths ingested microplastics, predominantly fibers, with higher rates during the rainy season.
Ingestion of Microplastics in the Planktonic Copepod from the Indonesian Throughflow Pathways
Researchers documented microplastic ingestion by three size classes of marine copepods — tiny crustaceans that form the base of ocean food webs — along the Indonesian Throughflow, one of the world's major ocean current systems. Fiber microplastics dominated ingested particles (87%), and seven polymer types were identified in copepod bodies. Because copepods are eaten by virtually everything in the ocean, their ingestion of microplastics creates a direct pathway for plastic particles and associated chemicals to move up the food chain toward fish and ultimately humans.
Is Zooplankton an Entry Point of Microplastics into the Marine Food Web?
Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion by zooplankton in natural marine environments, examining whether copepods and other zooplankton serve as an entry point for transferring microplastics from the water column into the marine food web.
Global Meta-Analysis and Review of Microplastic in Marine Copepods
This global meta-analysis examines how copepods — tiny crustaceans at the base of the ocean food chain — interact with microplastics. It finds that despite individually low ingestion rates, the sheer abundance of copepods makes them significant microplastic reservoirs, with potential consequences that ripple up the food chain to fish and ultimately humans.
Microplastic ingestion by zooplankton in surf zone waters of sandy beaches: Are copepods potential reservoirs of these emerging pollutants?
Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion by tiny zooplankton species in the surf zone of Atlantic beaches in southern Brazil. They found microplastics in the water at concentrations up to 1,750 items per cubic meter, with fibers being the most common type, and confirmed that copepods were ingesting these particles. The study suggests that zooplankton in turbulent nearshore waters may act as reservoirs that introduce microplastics into marine food webs.
Microplastics Ingestion by Copepods in Two Contrasting Seasons: A Case Study from the Terminos Lagoon, Southern Gulf of Mexico
Researchers studied microplastic ingestion by copepods across two contrasting seasons in a marine environment, finding that ingestion rates and particle types varied with seasonal changes in microplastic availability and copepod feeding behavior. Fibers were the most frequently ingested particle type.
Ingestion of microplastics by copepods in Tampa Bay Estuary, FL
Researchers studied tiny crustaceans called copepods in Tampa Bay, Florida, and found they regularly ingest microplastic fragments from the surrounding water. Over a two-year sampling period, an average of about 15 plastic particles were found per 1,000 copepods, mostly small fragments rather than fibers. Since copepods are a key food source for fish and other marine life, their intake of microplastics could transfer plastic contamination up the food chain.
Bioavailability and ingestion of microplastic by zooplankton in the natural environment
This study reviewed the bioavailability and ingestion of microplastics by marine zooplankton, which are particularly vulnerable because microplastic sizes overlap with their natural prey. Laboratory and field evidence shows zooplankton including copepods readily ingest microplastics, affecting energy budgets and potentially transferring particles up the food chain.
Microplastics in the menu of Mediterranean zooplankton: Insights from the feeding response of the calanoid copepod Centropages typicus
Researchers investigated how the Mediterranean copepod Centropages typicus responds to microplastics, finding that these zooplankton ingest plastic particles whose size overlaps with their natural nano-microplankton prey, potentially threatening marine food web functioning.
Microplastics Residence Time in Marine Copepods: An Experimental Study
Laboratory experiments measured how long microplastics remain in marine copepods after ingestion, finding that residence times vary by particle type and size, with some particles persisting longer than others and informing estimates of microplastic transfer through marine food webs.
Effects of microplastics on marine copepods
This review examines how microplastics affect marine copepods, the tiny crustaceans that form a critical link in ocean food chains. Researchers found that copepods readily ingest microplastics, which can block their digestive tracts, reduce feeding, trigger immune responses, deplete energy reserves, and impair reproduction. The effects depend on the size, shape, and chemical properties of the plastic particles, and microplastics can also carry other toxic pollutants that amplify the harm.
Ingestion of Microplastics by Zooplankton in the Northeast Pacific Ocean
Researchers collected zooplankton from the northeast Pacific Ocean and found microplastics ingested by multiple species, demonstrating that microplastic uptake occurs throughout the open ocean zooplankton community far from coastlines.
Abundant plankton-sized microplastic particles in shelf waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico
Researchers found abundant microplastic particles of plankton-like size in the waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico shelf, raising concerns about their potential to be ingested by zooplankton and higher trophic level species. The study highlights how semi-enclosed coastal seas can accumulate high concentrations of small plastic fragments.
Microplastic ingestion by deep‐pelagic crustaceans and fishes
Among 557 individual deep-pelagic crustaceans and fishes from the Gulf of Mexico, 29% of crustaceans and 26% of fishes had ingested microplastics, with ingestion rates in non-migratory fishes increasing with depth and reaching 40% at 1200-1500 m, suggesting plastic accumulates at greater ocean depths.
Functional study of the ingestion and excretion of microplastics by marine coastal copepods
This study examined how marine coastal copepods ingest and excrete microplastics and assessed their role as vectors for plastic dispersal in the water column. Copepods readily ingested microplastics, retained particles for variable periods depending on size and feeding rate, and excreted aggregated fecal pellets that could redistribute plastics vertically in the ocean.
Evidence of microplastics in samples of zooplankton from Portuguese coastal waters
Researchers examined zooplankton samples collected from Portuguese coastal waters between 2002 and 2008 and found microplastics in a proportion of the samples, providing early retrospective evidence of microplastic contamination in Atlantic zooplankton. The study shows that plastic contamination of coastal zooplankton communities predates the recent surge of research attention.
The Behavior of Planktonic Copepods Minimizes the Entry of Microplastics in Marine Food Webs
Researchers found that planktonic copepods across all major feeding behaviors ingested microplastics at rates up to ten times lower than similar-sized microalgae, suggesting that copepod feeding strategies naturally limit the entry of microplastics into marine food webs.
Benthic foraminifera in Gulf of Mexico show temporal and spatial dynamics of microplastics
Researchers used benthic foraminifera from sediment cores in the Gulf of Mexico to reconstruct the temporal and spatial dynamics of microplastic accumulation since plastic production began. The study found that microplastic concentrations in sediment records reflected the historical increase in global plastic production over recent decades.
First assessment of anthropogenic particle ingestion in Pontellid copepods: Pontella mediterranea as a potential microplastic reservoir in the Neuston
This Mediterranean study found that the neustonic copepod Pontella mediterranea, which lives at the ocean surface, ingests anthropogenic particles including microplastics, and due to its very high abundance could collectively concentrate an average of 45 particles per square meter of sea surface. Most ingested particles were cellulose acetate and cotton fibers, not classic plastic polymers. Because these copepods are globally abundant and sit at the base of marine food webs, their role as a reservoir and vector of anthropogenic particles into ocean food chains deserves greater attention.
Small microplastic ingestion by the calanoid Centropages furcatus in the Gulf of Thailand
Researchers analyzed small microplastics ingested by the copepod Centropages furcatus in the Gulf of Thailand and found plastic particles in every sample examined. The average ingestion rate was among the highest recorded for this type of zooplankton, with polypropylene fragments smaller than 50 micrometers being the most common. The findings suggest that these tiny organisms could transfer significant amounts of microplastics up through the marine food chain.
First insight into plastics ingestion by fish in the Gulf of California, Mexico
Researchers found that 50% of 1,095 fish examined from 13 species in a tropical estuarine system in the Gulf of California had ingested plastic particles, with all recovered particles being threads and most being small microplastic fibres.
Impact of anthropogenic activities on the abundance of microplastics in copepods sampled from the southeast coast of India
Researchers measured microplastic contamination in tiny crustaceans called copepods along the southeast coast of India and found that areas with more human activity had higher concentrations. Microplastics were present in both the surface water and inside the copepods themselves, with fibers being the most common type. The findings suggest that human activities along coastlines are directly contributing to microplastic ingestion by marine organisms at the base of the food chain.
Occurrence and ingestion of microplastics by zooplankton in Kenya's marine environment: first documented evidence
Researchers documented the first evidence of microplastic ingestion by zooplankton in Kenyan coastal waters, finding an average of 110 microplastic particles per cubic metre at the sea surface, with 129 particles recovered from zooplankton including chaetognaths, copepods, amphipods, and fish larvae. Filaments dominated both water and ingested microplastics, comprising 76% and 97% of their respective compositions.
Microplastic ingestion and egestion by copepods in the Black Sea
Researchers assessed microplastic ingestion and excretion by copepods in the Black Sea for the first time, alongside measuring plastic pollution in the water column. They found microplastics at all sampling stations, with the highest concentrations near river mouths, and confirmed that copepods actively ingest and excrete these particles. The findings suggest that microplastic contamination is widespread in the Black Sea and is entering the base of the marine food web.