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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Can microplastics variability drive the colonization dynamics of periphytic protozoan fauna in marine environments?
ClearMicroplastics drive community dynamics of periphytic protozoan fauna in marine environments
Researchers exposed marine protozoan communities to varying concentrations of microplastics and tracked how the communities changed over time. They found that higher microplastic concentrations reduced species diversity and shifted community composition toward more pollution-tolerant species. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can reshape the structure of microscopic marine communities, with potential cascading effects up the food web.
Do microplastics dramatically shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization in marine environments?
Researchers exposed protozoan assemblages to a gradient of microplastic concentrations in marine environments to investigate whether MPs shape the homogeneity of protozoan colonization patterns. The results provide insights into how MP pollution alters microbial community structure and the energy transfer roles of protozoa across trophic levels in marine ecosystems.
Short-term microplastic effects on marine meiofauna abundance, diversity and community composition
Researchers examined short-term effects of microplastics on marine meiofauna, measuring changes in abundance, species diversity, and community composition after plastic addition, finding dose-dependent disruption to these ecologically important small invertebrates.
Zooplankton responses to environmentally relevant microplastic conditions at low food availability
Researchers exposed marine zooplankton to environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics under realistic low-exposure conditions, measuring effects on feeding, reproduction, and survival over multiple generations. Even at low concentrations, chronic microplastic exposure reduced zooplankton fitness.
Microbial colonization of microplastics in the Caribbean Sea
Researchers incubated six common plastic polymers in Caribbean waters for six weeks and found that bacterial biofilm communities were not significantly shaped by plastic type or exposure time, but eukaryotic communities (including distinctive diatom assemblages) were influenced by both factors. This suggests that microplastics act as selective habitats for some microbial groups but not others, with implications for understanding how plastics alter ocean microbial ecology.
Responses to environmentally relevant microplastics are species-specific with dietary habit as a potential sensitivity indicator
Species-specific responses to environmentally relevant microplastic concentrations were assessed across multiple marine organisms within a functional group study. Results showed that responses differed substantially between species, indicating that single-species tests cannot reliably predict community-level effects of microplastic contamination.
Formation of specific bacterial assemblages on sterile polyethylene microplastic particles added to a marine aquaria system
Researchers characterized bacterial assemblages that formed on sterile polyethylene microplastic particles after 12 weeks of incubation in marine aquaria, comparing the plastisphere communities to those on sterile sandy sediment and in water fractions to determine whether microplastics select for distinct or potentially pathogenic bacterial communities. The study found that microplastics hosted specific bacterial assemblages distinct from surrounding environmental fractions, confirming their role as selective surfaces for microbial colonization.
Plastic leachates promote marine protozoan growth
Researchers studied how chemicals leaching from ocean plastics affect the growth of a marine protozoan and its associated bacteria. They found that plastic leachates dramatically increased dissolved organic carbon in seawater, boosting protozoan growth by up to ten times compared to controls. The study suggests that plastic pollution may be altering the base of marine food webs by providing an unnatural carbon source that shifts microbial community dynamics.
Biodisponibilidad y bioacumulación de microplásticos en el zooplancton marino de un área marina protegida del Caribe
Researchers evaluated microplastic bioavailability and bioconcentration across seven zooplankton taxonomic groups in a Caribbean Marine Protected Area, finding microplastic ingestion during two contrasting hydroclimate seasons using oblique net tows at twelve stations.
Does microplastic ingestion dramatically decrease the biomass of protozoa grazers? A case study on the marine ciliate Uronema marinum
Feeding experiments tested whether microplastic ingestion by the marine ciliate Uronema marinum dramatically reduced its biomass when grazing on bacteria, a key step in the microbial loop. Microplastic exposure reduced ciliate grazing efficiency and biomass, suggesting that protozoan grazers, an important link in microbial food webs, are negatively affected by microplastic contamination.
The interaction between plastics and microalgae affects community assembly and nutrient availability
Researchers found that plastic debris coated with biological growth (biofilm) — but not clean plastic — altered the community composition of microalgae and changed nutrient levels in the surrounding water. This suggests that plastic particles act as rafts carrying organisms between environments, potentially disrupting aquatic ecosystems in ways that have been largely overlooked.
Relative Influence of Plastic Debris Size and Shape, Chemical Composition and Phytoplankton-Bacteria Interactions in Driving Seawater Plastisphere Abundance, Diversity and Activity
This study evaluated the relative influence of plastic debris size, shape, chemical composition, and environmental conditions on the microbial communities colonizing ocean plastics (the plastisphere). Results showed that multiple plastic properties and environmental factors jointly shape which microorganisms colonize plastic surfaces in the marine environment.
Diversity and succession of microbial communities on typical microplastics in Xincun Bay, a long-term mariculture tropical lagoon
Researchers tracked microbial community succession on polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene microplastics over 60 days in a tropical mariculture lagoon, finding that plastisphere bacterial diversity exceeded that of surrounding seawater and that community structure shifted significantly over time.
Effects of microplastics pollution on the abundance and composition of interstitial meiofauna
Researchers found that microplastic accumulation in beach sediments negatively affected the abundance and community composition of meiofauna at lower intertidal levels on urban Colombian beaches, with microplastics explaining 39% of community variation in the most heavily impacted zone.
The structure and assembly mechanisms of plastisphere microbial community in natural marine environment
Researchers investigated how microbial communities colonize different types of microplastic surfaces in natural marine environments over an eight-week period. They found that the composition of these plastic-associated microbial communities, known as the plastisphere, was shaped more by environmental conditions and time than by the specific type of plastic. The study provides new understanding of the ecological processes governing how microorganisms assemble on ocean plastic debris.
Responses of different species of marine microalgae and their community to gear-derived microplastics
Researchers tested how microplastics from fishing gear affected four species of marine microalgae and found that smaller particles were more toxic, significantly slowing algae growth and damaging their cells. When introduced to a mixed algae community, the microplastics shifted which species dominated and actually increased overall community diversity. Since microalgae are the foundation of the ocean food web, these changes could ripple through marine ecosystems and affect the seafood humans consume.
How do microplastics affect the marine microbial loop? Predation of microplastics by microzooplankton
This study examined how micro- and nanoplastics affect marine protozoans that serve as key links in the microbial loop, the process of material and energy cycling in ocean ecosystems. Results showed that both size classes of plastic particles impaired protozoan predation on bacteria, potentially disrupting carbon and nutrient transfer in marine microbial food webs.
Microplastics alter the functioning of marine microbial ecosystems
Researchers used experimental mesocosms to investigate how microplastics affect the structure and functioning of marine microbial ecosystems. They found that microplastics indirectly altered marine productivity by shifting the composition of bacterial and phytoplankton communities. The study provides evidence that microplastic pollution can disrupt fundamental ecological processes in ocean ecosystems beyond effects on individual organisms.
Do microplastics affect marine ecosystem productivity?
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.
Impacts of microplastics and the associated plastisphere on physiological, biochemical, genetic expression and gut microbiota of the filter-feeder amphioxus
Researchers exposed filter-feeding amphioxus to weathered microplastics colonized by natural marine biofilms and found significant impacts on physiology, biochemistry, and gut microbiota under starvation conditions. The weathered plastics with their attached microbial communities caused more disruption than pristine particles typically used in lab studies. The findings suggest that real-world microplastic pollution, complete with its biofilm coating, may pose greater risks to marine filter feeders than laboratory experiments usually indicate.