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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Do microplastics and climate change negatively affect shredder invertebrates from an amazon stream? An ecosystem functioning perspective
ClearClimate change and microplastic effects on conidial fungal assemblages associated with leaf litter in an Amazonian stream
In an Amazonian stream, climate change and microplastic pollution are not independent threats — they interact and compound each other's damage to aquatic ecosystems. A microcosm experiment found that warming temperatures (simulating climate change) and microplastic exposure together suppressed the reproductive output of aquatic fungi beyond what either stressor caused alone, potentially reducing the ability of these ecosystems to break down leaf litter. Since fungal decomposition is the foundation of nutrient cycling in tropical forest streams, these combined effects could have cascading consequences for one of Earth's most biodiverse ecosystems.
Interactive effects of warming and microplastics on metabolism but not feeding rates of a key freshwater detritivore
Freshwater detritivores were exposed to microplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations under two temperature conditions to separate and combine effects, finding that warming and microplastics interacted to significantly increase metabolic rates but had no combined effect on feeding rates. The results highlight the importance of considering multiple stressors when assessing freshwater organism responses to microplastics under climate change.
Microplastics alter the leaf litter breakdown rates and the decomposer community in subtropical lentic microhabitats
Researchers exposed leaf litter decomposition systems to microplastics and measured breakdown rates and decomposer community composition, finding that microplastics slowed litter breakdown and shifted the abundance of invertebrate shredders and microbial decomposers. The study suggests microplastics could disrupt nutrient cycling in freshwater ecosystems by impairing a foundational ecological process.
Microplastics have a more profound impact than elevated temperatures on the predatory performance, digestion and energy metabolism of an Amazonian cichlid
Researchers exposed juvenile Amazonian cichlid fish to microplastics, elevated temperatures, and both stressors combined over 30 days. They found that microplastic exposure had a more significant negative impact on predatory performance, digestion, and energy metabolism than elevated temperature alone. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may be a more immediate threat to freshwater fish than moderate temperature increases associated with climate change.
Physiological and behavioural responses of aquatic organisms to microplastics and experimental warming
Researchers tested how microplastic exposure combined with different water temperatures affected the breathing, feeding, and movement of two common freshwater invertebrates. They found that while temperature had strong effects on all measured behaviors, microplastics caused additional changes in feeding rates and movement patterns that varied between species. The study highlights that the biological effects of microplastics may be amplified or altered under warming climate conditions.
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.
Evidence of micro and macroplastic toxicity along a stream detrital food-chain.
Both micro- and macroplastic polyethylene pieces inhibited the decomposition of leaf litter in freshwater streams, with microplastics reducing the feeding activity of stream invertebrates. Since leaf litter decomposition is a critical process that nutrients and energy flow into freshwater food webs, plastic pollution could disrupt these fundamental ecosystem functions.
Microplastics have lethal and sublethal effects on stream invertebrates and affect stream ecosystem functioning
Using a mesocosm experiment, researchers showed that microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations caused lethal and sublethal effects on freshwater invertebrates and reduced key ecosystem functions including leaf litter decomposition and algal colonization of streambed substrates.
Differential effects of microplastic exposure on leaf shredding rates of invasive and native amphipod crustaceans
Researchers tested how microplastic exposure affected leaf-eating crustaceans in freshwater, finding that at high concentrations, native species ate significantly less while an invasive species was unaffected. This raises concern that microplastic pollution could give invasive species a competitive edge while disrupting the nutrient recycling work of native invertebrates in rivers and streams.
Joint effects of warming and salinization on instream leaf litter decomposition assessed through a microcosm experiment
Researchers tested how rising water temperature and increasing salinity together affect the breakdown of leaf litter in tropical streams, a key process for stream ecosystem health. They found that while moderate warming slightly sped up decomposition, higher salinity levels significantly slowed it down, especially the portion driven by shredding invertebrates. The study suggests that the combination of warming and salinization could impair nutrient cycling in tropical freshwater ecosystems.
Microplastics and leaf litter decomposition dynamics: New insights from a lotic ecosystem (Northeastern Italy)
Researchers studied how microplastics affect the natural decomposition of plant litter in a freshwater stream over four seasons, finding that microplastics had a small but measurable negative effect on decomposition rates and accumulated inside the invertebrates responsible for breaking down organic matter. These findings suggest microplastic pollution subtly disrupts the nutrient cycling processes that keep freshwater ecosystems healthy.
Integrating microplastics into thermal biology in an insect
Researchers fed field crickets nylon microfilaments at different temperatures to assess how warming and microplastic exposure interact, finding that while warmer animals ate more, they did not absorb more microplastics, but microplastic consumption shifted resource allocation toward self-maintenance at the expense of desiccation tolerance and reproduction.
Combined effects of global warming and microplastic exposure from individual to populational levels of a benthic copepod
This study assessed the combined effects of global warming and microplastic exposure on freshwater and marine organisms across individual and population levels, examining how climate and plastic pollution interact as co-occurring stressors. Results showed that warming conditions modified microplastic toxicity in ways that suggest climate change will alter the ecological risk of plastic pollution in aquatic systems.
Microplastics in freshwater sediments: Effects on benthic invertebrate communities and ecosystem functioning assessed in artificial streams
Researchers tested the effects of polyethylene microplastics on freshwater invertebrate communities in artificial streams using environmentally relevant concentrations. They found that microplastics significantly reduced the abundance of deposit-feeding and grazing organisms by 31-50%, with chironomids and mayflies showing the highest ingestion of plastic particles.
Comparing effects of microplastic exposure, FPOM resource quality, and consumer density on the response of a freshwater particle feeder and associated ecosystem processes
Researchers found that realistic microplastic concentrations had minimal direct effects on freshwater particle feeders compared to the much stronger influences of food resource quality and consumer density on growth, survival, and ecosystem processes in stream microcosms.
Polystyrene Microparticles and the Functional Traits of Invertebrates: A Case Study on Freshwater Shrimp Neocardina heteropoda
Researchers exposed freshwater shrimp to polystyrene microplastics and found measurable changes in behavioral and physiological functional traits, contributing evidence that microplastic pollution poses risks to freshwater invertebrate communities beyond the marine environments typically studied.
Long-term adverse effects of microplastics on Daphnia magna reproduction and population growth rate at increased water temperature and light intensity: Combined effects of stressors and interactions
Researchers investigated how increased water temperature and light intensity affect the long-term toxicity of microplastics to the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that microplastics caused mortality, reduced growth, and decreased reproduction across all conditions, but these effects were significantly worsened by both higher temperature and brighter light. The study suggests that climate change factors may synergistically amplify the harmful impacts of microplastic pollution on freshwater zooplankton.
Effect of microplastics on ecosystem functioning: Microbial nitrogen removal mediated by benthic invertebrates
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal in freshwater sediments where chironomid larvae and microorganisms coexist. They found that while microplastics and larvae each individually promoted nitrogen removal by boosting denitrifying bacteria, combining them together produced less benefit than expected. The study suggests that rising microplastic concentrations may disrupt the natural nitrogen cycling that benthic invertebrates help maintain in freshwater ecosystems.
Effects of drying on plastic fragmentation and microplastic size on the functional role of a shredder organism Gammarus fossarum.
This study found that drying conditions in intermittent rivers accelerate plastic fragmentation, producing more and smaller microplastics as drying duration increases. Subsequent lab experiments showed these smaller particles were more lethal to the freshwater amphipod Gammarus fossarum, a key shredder organism, suggesting that intermittent rivers and seasonal streams — which make up a large fraction of global waterways — may be underappreciated hotspots of microplastic generation and ecological harm.
Interactive effects between water temperature, microparticle compositions, and fiber types on the marine keystone species Americamysis bahia
Scientists studied how rising water temperatures interact with different types of microparticles and fibers to affect mysid shrimp, a key species in marine food webs. Researchers found that the combination of warmer water and microplastic exposure produced more severe effects than either stressor alone. The study suggests that climate change could amplify the harmful impact of microplastic pollution on important marine organisms.
Impacts of low concentrations of nanoplastics on leaf litter decomposition and food quality for detritivores in streams
Researchers found that low concentrations of polystyrene nanoplastics impaired leaf litter decomposition in forested streams by reducing aquatic hyphomycete fungal activity and decreasing food quality for detritivore invertebrates, threatening stream ecosystem function.
Dual Effect of Microplastics and Cadmium on Stream Litter Decomposition and Invertebrate Feeding Behavior
Microcosm experiments showed that combined exposure to microplastics and cadmium reduced leaf litter decomposition rates and altered fungal communities and invertebrate feeding behavior in freshwater streams more than either stressor alone.
Combined effects of global warming and microplastic exposure from individual to populational levels of a benthic copepod
This study examined the combined effects of global warming and microplastic exposure on aquatic organisms from the individual to the population level, investigating how these two co-occurring stressors interact. Warming amplified some microplastic effects, suggesting that climate change will exacerbate the ecological consequences of plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.
Microplastics in freshwaters: Comparing effects of particle properties and an invertebrate consumer on microbial communities and ecosystem functions
Researchers tested how different microplastic properties, including concentration, shape, and polymer type, affect microbial communities and ecosystem functions in freshwater environments. They found that the presence of an invertebrate consumer had a stronger influence on microbial activity than the microplastics themselves, though high concentrations of certain particle shapes did alter community composition. The study suggests that the ecological effects of microplastics in freshwater depend heavily on the broader biological context.