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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics Weaken the Adaptability of Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. to Ocean Warming
ClearThe combined effects of ocean warming and microplastic pollution on marine phytoplankton community dynamics
Researchers studied the combined effects of microplastic pollution and rising ocean temperatures on tiny marine plants called phytoplankton. While microplastics alone had minimal impact at current temperatures, when combined with warmer water conditions, phytoplankton biomass dropped by 41% and diversity fell by nearly 39%. The study suggests that climate change may dramatically amplify the harmful effects of microplastic pollution on the ocean organisms responsible for a significant portion of global carbon capture.
Microplastics disrupt microalgal carbon fixation: Efficiency and underlying mechanisms
Researchers exposed the microalga Chlorella pyrenoidosa to polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics and found up to 39% inhibition of carbon fixation, driven by reduced chlorophyll content, increased oxidative stress, and downregulation of genes in the Calvin cycle and chlorophyll metabolism, with implications for aquatic carbon cycling.
Warming and microplastic pollution shape the carbon and nitrogen cycles of algae
Researchers investigated how ocean warming combined with microplastic pollution affects carbon and nitrogen cycling in marine diatoms and dinoflagellates, revealing that these combined stressors alter key biochemical processes in dominant phytoplankton species.
The response of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 to micro-/nano polyethylene particles - Investigation of a key anthropogenic stressor
Researchers investigated the molecular responses of the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 to polyethylene micro- and nanoparticles, finding that these anthropogenic stressors altered gene expression and physiological processes in this key marine photosynthetic organism.
Complex interactions among temperature, microplastics and cyanobacteria may facilitate cyanobacteria proliferation and microplastic deposition
Researchers investigated how microplastics interact with temperature and nutrient conditions to affect cyanobacterial growth, finding that microplastics can alter cyanobacterial physiology and potentially exacerbate bloom formation under warming conditions.
Warming coupled with elevated pCO2 modulates microplastic inhibition in a commercial red alga Pyropia haitanensis
Researchers cultured the commercially important red seaweed Pyropia haitanensis under elevated CO₂, warming, and a range of microplastic concentrations, finding that microplastics caused strong concentration-dependent stress on growth and photosynthesis, but that elevated pCO₂ modulated these inhibitory effects.
Nanoplastics impair growth and nitrogen fixation of marine nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria
Researchers found that nanoplastic exposure significantly reduces growth, photosynthesis, and nitrogen fixation in Crocosphaera watsonii — a key ocean nitrogen-fixer — suggesting that nanoplastic pollution could decrease new nitrogen input to marine ecosystems and impair ocean productivity and biogeochemical cycling.
Altered Biological Responses of Primary Producers to Multiple Stressors in the Presence of Nanoplastics
This thesis investigated how nanoplastics interact with other environmental stressors — including elevated CO2, temperature, and light — to affect freshwater algae and cyanobacteria. The results show that nanoplastics can alter how aquatic plants respond to climate change, potentially disrupting the base of freshwater food webs.
Ecological implications beyond the ecotoxicity of plastic debris on marine phytoplankton assemblage structure and functioning
PVC, polystyrene, and polyethylene microplastics and nanoplastics significantly reduced phytoplankton cell density, with polymer type being a key factor; given phytoplankton's role in atmospheric CO2 fixation, plastic pollution could potentially impact the marine carbon pump.
High Salinity Alters the Adsorption Behavior of Microplastics towards Typical Pollutants and the Phytotoxicity of Microplastics to Synechococcus
Researchers studied how high-salinity water, such as that produced by desalination plants, changes the way microplastics interact with other pollutants. They found that elevated salt concentrations altered the adsorption behavior of polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics toward heavy metals and organic pollutants. The study also showed that the combination of high salinity and microplastics was more harmful to marine cyanobacteria than either stressor alone.
Natural marine nanocolloids modulate the phytotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics on cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp.
Researchers examined how natural marine nanocolloids interact with polystyrene nanoplastics and affect the cyanobacterium Synechococcus. They found that nanocolloids stabilized the nanoplastics in water and promoted their attachment to algal cells, leading to greater membrane damage and a 14% reduction in photosynthetic efficiency. The study suggests that naturally occurring particles in seawater may amplify the ecological risks of nanoplastic pollution to marine phytoplankton.
Finding the missing piece of the aquatic plastic pollution puzzle: Interaction between primary producers and microplastics
This review examines the understudied interactions between microplastics and aquatic primary producers such as algae and cyanobacteria. Evidence indicates that microplastics can alter photosynthesis, growth rates, gene expression, and colony morphology in these organisms, potentially through adhesion or transfer of adsorbed pollutants. The authors argue that understanding microplastic impacts on primary producers is a critical missing piece in assessing the full ecological consequences of plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.
Dual regulatory effects of microplastics and heat waves on river microbial carbon metabolism
Researchers found that microplastics inhibited the thermal adaptation of river microbial communities during simulated heat waves, disrupting carbon metabolism processes and suggesting that combined microplastic pollution and climate warming may alter riverine carbon cycling.
Effects of microplastics on coastal planktonic community
This book chapter reviews how microplastics affect coastal phytoplankton communities, covering physical clogging, chemical toxicity, and disruption of photosynthesis and cell division across diatoms, dinoflagellates, and cyanobacteria. Since phytoplankton form the base of marine food webs and produce roughly half of Earth's oxygen, widespread microplastic-driven decline in these communities would have cascading consequences for ocean ecosystems and global climate.
Heatwaves increase the polystyrene nanoplastic-induced toxicity to marine diatoms through interfacial interaction regulation
Researchers found that marine heatwaves significantly worsen the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on an important ocean diatom species. The higher temperatures weakened the algal cell walls and increased nanoplastic adhesion, leading to greater membrane damage and reduced photosynthesis and carbon absorption. The findings suggest that climate change and plastic pollution together may pose a compounding threat to ocean productivity.
Evaluating physiological responses of microalgae towards environmentally coexisting microplastics: A meta-analysis
A meta-analysis of 52 studies found that microplastics inhibit microalgal growth and photosynthesis and induce oxidative damage, though microalgae can recover over time. Cyanobacteria are more vulnerable than green algae, and the relative size of microplastics to algal cells governs the mechanism of impact, while aged versus pristine microplastics have opposite effects on extracellular polymeric substance and microcystin production.
Antagonistic and synergistic effects of warming and microplastics on microalgae: Case study of the red tide species Prorocentrum donghaiense
Researchers exposed the red tide microalgae Prorocentrum donghaiense to different microplastic concentrations and temperatures, finding that microplastics significantly suppressed growth and photosynthesis at 16 degrees C but that higher temperatures (22 and 28 degrees C) partially counteracted these effects at low microplastic doses. The antagonistic and synergistic outcomes of combined warming and microplastic exposure depended on microplastic concentration.
Microplastics Reshape the Fate of Aqueous Carbon by Inducing Dynamic Changes in Biodiversity and Chemodiversity
Researchers found that microplastics reshape aqueous carbon cycling by releasing chemical additives that inhibit autotrophic bacteria, promoting CO2 emissions, and stimulating microbial metabolic pathways that transform dissolved organic matter into more stable, less bioavailable forms.
Microplastics in Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Facilitators of CO 2 and CH 4 Emission Hotspots
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in water make harmful algae blooms produce more greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. These microplastics help the algae grow faster at first, then speed up their decay later, both of which release more climate-warming gases into the atmosphere. This matters because it shows microplastic pollution isn't just harming marine life—it's also making water bodies contribute more to climate change.
Culture dependent analysis of bacterial activity, biofilm-formation and oxidative stress of seawater with the contamination of microplastics under climate change consideration
Researchers examined how temperature changes and microplastic contamination jointly affect bacterial activity, biofilm formation, and oxidative stress in seawater. The study found that different plastic materials at varying temperatures produced distinct bacterial responses, suggesting that climate change could compound the environmental effects of microplastic pollution in marine settings.