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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics drive community dynamics of periphytic protozoan fauna in marine environments
ClearCan microplastics variability drive the colonization dynamics of periphytic protozoan fauna in marine environments?
Researchers exposed periphytic protozoan communities to five concentrations of microplastics (0-125 mg/L) in controlled marine circulation systems over 21 days and found that colonization dynamics shifted significantly at concentrations above 5 mg/L, with declining species richness and abundance at higher doses. The results suggest periphytic protozoan colonization patterns could serve as a bioindicator for assessing microplastic contamination in marine environments.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Microplastics can alter phytoplankton community composition
Researchers tested how microplastic fibers affect natural communities of tiny aquatic organisms called phytoplankton, which form the base of aquatic food webs. At higher concentrations, microplastics significantly shifted the community makeup, boosting certain cyanobacteria while reducing other species. The study suggests that growing microplastic pollution could reshape the foundation of aquatic ecosystems in heavily polluted waterways.
Plastic leachates impair picophytoplankton and dramatically reshape the marine microbiome
Researchers found that chemicals leaching out of plastic debris can severely disrupt marine microbial communities, damaging tiny photosynthetic organisms (picophytoplankton) and dramatically reshaping the ocean microbiome. These findings reveal that plastic pollution harms ocean life not just physically but through chemical contamination, with potential consequences for the entire marine food web.
Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Growth and Grazing Rates Reduced by Microplastic Ingestion
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastic ingestion significantly reduced the growth and grazing rates of heterotrophic dinoflagellates, suggesting that microplastic pollution could disrupt marine microbial food webs at the single-celled predator level.
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.
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.
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.
Nano- and microplastics affect the composition of freshwater benthic communities in the long term
Researchers conducted a 15-month mesocosm experiment exposing freshwater communities to five concentrations of nano- and microplastics, assessing long-term effects on community composition under ecologically realistic conditions. The study found that chronic exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations affected the composition of freshwater microalgal assemblages.
Long-term exposure of a free-living freshwater micro- and meiobenthos community to microplastic mixtures in microcosms
Researchers exposed a natural freshwater micro- and meiobenthos community to microplastic mixtures in long-term microcosm experiments, finding community-level effects that differ from single-species studies and highlighting the importance of realistic multi-polymer exposure scenarios.
Can Microplastic Pollution Change Important Aquatic Bacterial Communities?
Microplastics in coastal sediments can change the composition of important bacterial communities that cycle nutrients and maintain ecosystem health. Microplastic-associated bacteria differ significantly from natural sediment bacteria, with potential consequences for the chemical processes these communities perform.
Influence of microplastics on the structure and function of deep-sea communities during long-term enrichment processes
Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect deep-sea microbial communities over 50 days of incubation. They observed that microorganisms caused visible degradation of the plastic surfaces, while the smallest particles and plastic films significantly inhibited bacterial growth and increased reactive oxygen species production. The study reveals that microplastic pollution can substantially alter deep-sea microbial community structure and function.
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 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.
The impact of microplastics on lake communities: A mesocosm study
Researchers conducted a mesocosm experiment to assess how microplastic contamination affects lake communities, including zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, and fish. They found that microplastic exposure caused varying effects across organism groups, with some community-level changes observed over the study period. The study highlights that microplastic pollution can alter freshwater ecosystem dynamics beyond what has been documented in single-species laboratory studies.
Microplastics impact simple aquatic food web dynamics through reduced zooplankton feeding and potentially releasing algae from consumer control
Researchers investigated how environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics affect freshwater food web dynamics using two zooplankton species. The study found that microplastic exposure reduced zooplankton feeding rates, which could potentially release algae from consumer control and disrupt aquatic food chain balance.