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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Interference of Chemical Communication in Plankton: Impact of Nanoplastics
ClearPlastic waste interferes with chemical communication in aquatic ecosystems
Researchers found that plastic waste made of common polymers like HDPE and PET can absorb chemical signals that water fleas (Daphnia) use to detect predators, disrupting their ability to form protective physical defenses. This indirect effect of microplastics — interfering with chemical communication rather than causing direct toxicity — could have far-reaching consequences for aquatic food webs.
Plastic pollution in the aquatic ecosystem: an emerging threat need to be tackled
This review summarizes the growing threat of plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, with a focus on how microplastics and nanoplastics enter food webs starting at the lowest levels. The authors highlight the persistence of these particles and call for coordinated action to reduce plastic inputs to water bodies.
Invisible Invaders: Ecotoxicological Impacts of Nano‐ and Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems
This review synthesises ecotoxicological research on nano- and microplastics (NMPs) in aquatic environments, covering how particle size, surface chemistry, and chemical additives increase bioavailability and cellular uptake. It documents effects across trophic levels from phytoplankton to fish and highlights trophic transfer as an escalating concern.
The organism fate of inland freshwater system under micro-/nano-plastic pollution: A review of past decade.
This review synthesized a decade of research on how micro- and nano-plastics affect freshwater organisms including microalgae, macrophytes, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, and fish, finding that impacts range from impaired photosynthesis and oxidative stress to reproductive disruption and behavioral changes across multiple biological levels.
Progress in the Research on Bioavailability of Nanoplastics to Freshwater Plankton
A review of recent research finds that nanoplastics can be taken up by freshwater phytoplankton and zooplankton, transferred up the food web, and cause toxic effects — but significant gaps remain in understanding how much actually enters organisms in real-world settings. Because plankton underpin aquatic food webs and nutrient cycling, nanoplastic contamination at this foundational level could have cascading consequences for freshwater ecosystem health.
Micro/nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems: Analytical challenges, ecological impacts, and mitigation strategies
This review provides a comprehensive assessment of micro- and nanoplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, covering detection methods, toxic effects across the food chain, and emerging cleanup strategies. Researchers highlight the limitations of current analytical techniques and the challenges of accurately measuring these tiny particles in water and living organisms. The study identifies key research priorities needed to better understand and mitigate the growing threat of plastic particle pollution in waterways.
Micro(nano)plastics Prevalence, Food Web Interactions, and Toxicity Assessment in Aquatic Organisms: A Review
This review examines the prevalence of micro- and nanoplastics across aquatic environments and their documented toxic effects on organisms ranging from plankton to fish, including DNA damage, reproductive harm, and neurotoxicity. Researchers found clear evidence that these particles transfer through aquatic food webs and can ultimately reach humans through seafood consumption. The study calls for more research into how microplastics carrying multiple contaminants cause combined toxic effects in marine organisms.
Toxicological review of micro- and nano-plastics in aquatic environments: Risks to ecosystems, food web dynamics and human health.
This review synthesized evidence on the toxicological effects of micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems, covering risks to individual organisms, disruptions to food web dynamics, and pathways through which plastic exposure poses risks to human health via seafood consumption.
Microplastics and nanoplastics: would they affect global biodiversity change?
This review examined how the ubiquitous distribution of micro- and nanoplastics and their demonstrated effects on individual organisms could translate to global biodiversity changes, identifying threats to ecosystems through direct toxicity, food web disruption, and habitat alteration. The authors call for new research approaches that link individual-level microplastic effects to population and ecosystem-level biodiversity impacts.
Nanoplastics modulate the outcome of a zooplankton–microparasite interaction
Researchers found that nanoplastics can alter the outcome of zooplankton-microparasite interactions, demonstrating that plastic pollution at the nanoscale may disrupt host-parasite dynamics in freshwater ecosystems with cascading ecological effects.
Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environments: Impacts on Aquatic Species and Interactions with Environmental Factors and Pollutants
This review examines how nanoplastics affect aquatic species, focusing on their cellular and molecular toxicity as well as how environmental factors like temperature, salinity, and co-existing pollutants influence their harmful effects. Researchers found that nanoplastics can be absorbed more easily than larger plastic particles, transfer through food webs, and disrupt cellular function in aquatic organisms. The study highlights the need to consider real-world environmental conditions when assessing nanoplastic risks.
Microplastic and nanoplastic pollution: Assessing translocation, impact, and mitigation strategies in marine ecosystems
This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics move through marine ecosystems, contaminating species from tiny plankton to large fish through processes like biofouling and chemical leaching. The plastics interact with other environmental stressors like climate change and chemical pollution, compounding their effects on marine food webs. The authors highlight that nanoplastics, which form as microplastics break down further, may pose additional unique risks that are not yet well understood.
Nanoplastics rewire freshwater food webs
Researchers used replicated experimental wetlands to study how nanoplastics affect freshwater food webs. They identified a tipping point at which nanoplastic concentrations became harmful to Daphnia, a key planktonic grazer, and also strongly affected diatom populations. The study suggests that nanoplastic pollution can fundamentally rewire aquatic food web dynamics, with cascading effects through multiple trophic levels.
Biological Effects and Implications of Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Aquatic Environment
This review summarizes what is known about the biological effects and implications of micro- and nanoplastics on aquatic organisms, covering a wide range of species from phytoplankton to fish. It highlights that while laboratory studies show harm at high concentrations, the effects at environmentally relevant levels are still poorly understood.
Microplastics: Potential impacts on aquatic biodiversity
This review examined microplastic impacts on aquatic biodiversity, finding that MPs affect organisms across trophic levels through ingestion, entanglement, and chemical leaching, with potential consequences for population dynamics and ecosystem functioning.
The characteristics of plastic nanoparticles and their effect on zooplankton
This thesis reviewed the characteristics of plastic nanoparticles and their potential effects on zooplankton, which are a foundational component of aquatic food webs. Because nanoplastics are smaller than microplastics, they are more easily taken up by tiny organisms and may have more pervasive ecological effects.
Micro- and nanoplastics in freshwater ecosystems—interaction with and impact upon bacterivorous ciliates
This review examines how freshwater ciliates, tiny single-celled organisms that are a crucial part of aquatic food chains, interact with microplastics and nanoplastics. These organisms readily ingest plastic particles, which can cause cellular and molecular damage and lead to bioaccumulation up the food chain. Since ciliates are a key link between bacteria and larger organisms, their contamination with microplastics could ultimately transfer plastic particles to fish and other animals that humans consume.
Effects of micro- and nanoplastics on aquatic ecosystems: Current research trends and perspectives
This review covers 83 studies on the distribution and toxic effects of micro- and nanoplastics in both marine and freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Researchers found that these tiny particles affected the growth, development, behavior, reproduction, and survival of a wide range of aquatic organisms. The paper identifies key research gaps and suggests future directions for understanding the full ecological impact of plastic pollution in aquatic environments.
Microplastic: A Silent Contaminant in Aquatic Ecosystems and Its Ecological Consequences
This review examines microplastics as a pervasive but underappreciated contaminant in aquatic ecosystems, synthesizing evidence on their sources, distribution, uptake pathways in aquatic organisms, and broader ecological consequences for freshwater and marine food webs.
Effect of Microplastics on Aquatic Food Chain and Food Web Altering Phytoplankton Community Structure
This review examines how microplastics affect phytoplankton community structure and how these effects propagate through aquatic food chains and food webs, with implications for nutrient cycling and ecosystem services.