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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Ingestion of microplastics by copepods in Tampa Bay Estuary, FL
ClearEffects 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.
Microplastic ingestion by copepods in a coastal environment of the Gulf of California, Mexico
Copepods are tiny crustaceans that form a critical link in ocean food webs, and this study found that they were ingesting microplastics in Mexico's Gulf of California — even in samples collected as far back as 2003, before microplastic awareness was widespread. The presence of microplastics in archived zooplankton samples suggests contamination has been ongoing for decades in this region. Because copepods are eaten by fish and other marine animals, their microplastic ingestion represents an early entry point into the marine food chain.
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.
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.
A First Record on Microplastic Ingestion by Tropical Estuarine Copepods of Bangladesh
Researchers documented for the first time microplastic ingestion by calanoid and cyclopoid copepods in the Lower Meghna Estuary of Bangladesh over a one-year sampling period. Fibers accounted for over 50 percent of ingested particles in both copepod groups, with acid digestion and SEM used for extraction and identification.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ingestion and adherence of microplastics by estuarine mysid shrimp
Researchers investigated how estuarine mysid shrimp ingest and accumulate microplastics both internally and on their external body surfaces. The study found microplastics in the shrimp's bodies and fecal pellets, and feeding experiments revealed that these organisms readily consume plastic particles, raising concerns about microplastic transfer through marine food webs.
Microplastic ingestion induces energy loss on the copepod Tigriopus koreanus
This study found that tiny copepods (small marine crustaceans near the base of the food chain) lose significant energy when they ingest microplastics instead of real food. The microplastics provided no nutrition but took energy to process, reducing the animals' ability to grow and reproduce. Since copepods are a critical food source for fish, this energy loss could ripple up the food chain and ultimately affect seafood quality and availability for humans.
In 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.
Microplastics in the Delaware Bay: distribution and direct effects on major zooplankton
Researchers mapped microplastic distribution in the Delaware Bay estuary and tested how these particles affect key zooplankton species. They found microplastics throughout the bay, with higher concentrations near urban areas, and that exposure reduced feeding rates and survival in copepods and barnacle larvae. The study provides some of the first data on microplastic pollution in mid-Atlantic estuaries and its direct effects on the base of the food web.
Low microalgae availability increases the ingestion rates and potential effects of microplastics on marine copepod Pseudodiaptomus annandalei
Researchers examined how food availability affects microplastic ingestion in the marine copepod Pseudodiaptomus annandalei, finding that low microalgae concentrations increased ingestion of all three microplastic sizes tested (0.5, 2, and 10 micrometers). The results suggest that food-limited copepods are at greater risk of microplastic uptake.