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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Warming and microplastic pollution shape the carbon and nitrogen cycles of algae
ClearCombined effects of microplastics and warming enhance algal carbon and nitrogen storage
Researchers examined the combined effects of warming temperatures and polystyrene microplastics on the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. While warming alone decreased cell viability, the combination of microplastics and warming unexpectedly increased growth rate and nitrogen uptake by promoting fatty acid metabolism and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution combined with marine heatwaves may alter algal carbon and nitrogen cycling in ways that could have broader ecological implications.
The 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 induced the differential responses of microbial-driven soil carbon and nitrogen cycles under warming
Researchers examined how the combination of microplastic pollution and warming temperatures affects soil carbon and nitrogen cycling driven by microbial communities. The study found that microplastics altered microbial responses to warming in ways that disrupted both carbon decomposition and nitrogen transformation processes in soil.
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.
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.
Effects of micro- and nano-plastics on growth, antioxidant system, DMS, and DMSP production in Emiliania huxleyi
Researchers exposed a key ocean-dwelling algae species to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics and found that both sizes impaired growth and triggered oxidative stress. The nanoplastics were more harmful than microplastics, reducing chlorophyll content and altering the production of climate-relevant sulfur compounds. The study suggests that plastic pollution could disrupt ocean algae that play an important role in regulating atmospheric chemistry and climate.
Dual impacts of elevated pCO2 on the ecological effects induced by microplastics and nanoplastics: A study with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Researchers examined how freshwater acidification from elevated carbon dioxide interacts with polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics to affect a common green algae species. They found that smaller nanoplastics caused greater harm than larger microplastics, primarily through oxidative stress, while acidification alone actually promoted algal growth. The study reveals that climate change and plastic pollution can interact in unexpected ways, with acidification sometimes masking or modifying the toxic effects of plastic particles.
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.
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.
Nanoplastics reshape lipid metabolism in marine microalgae with potential ecological consequence
Researchers exposed a marine microalga important to ocean ecosystems to nanoplastics and found significant disruptions to its lipid metabolism, reducing both biomass and lipid production. The nanoplastics altered the types of fats the algae produced, potentially affecting the nutritional value of these organisms for the marine food web. The findings suggest that nanoplastic pollution could have cascading ecological consequences by disrupting carbon cycling at the base of the food chain.
Microplastics Weaken the Adaptability of Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. to Ocean Warming
Researchers found that microplastic exposure weakened the ability of the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus to adapt to warming ocean temperatures. When microplastics were combined with higher water temperatures, carbon fixation dropped by up to 15% compared to warming alone, and photosynthesis pigments declined further. The study suggests that microplastic pollution could compound the damaging effects of climate change on ocean phytoplankton, which play a critical role in global carbon cycling.
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.
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.
Biological Responses to Climate Change and Nanoplastics Are Altered in Concert: Full-Factor Screening Reveals Effects of Multiple Stressors on Primary Producers
Using high-throughput screening of a freshwater green alga, researchers tested how nanoplastics interact with multiple climate change stressors (temperature, CO2, pH, UV), finding that nanoplastics combined with warming or UV caused greater harm than either alone, and that climate change will likely amplify nanoplastic toxicity.
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.
Dominant effects of elevated CO2 over microplastics on physiological and microbial responses of submerged aquatic plants in eutrophic waters
Researchers investigated the combined effects of elevated CO2 and microplastics on submerged aquatic plants in eutrophic water, finding that elevated CO2 dominated over microplastics in determining plant physiological and microbial responses. The study highlights that climate change variables may override microplastic stress in some aquatic plant systems.
[Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics on Growth and Halocarbon Release of Marine Microalgae].
Lab experiments showed that polyethylene microplastics affected two species of marine microalgae differently, inhibiting growth of one while promoting growth of the other. Microplastic stress also increased production of reactive oxygen species and altered the release of volatile halocarbons, trace gases important for climate and ozone chemistry.
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.
The effect of microplastics pollution in microalgal biomass production: A biochemical study
Scientists exposed the marine microalga Phaeodactylum tricornutum to polystyrene microplastics and found that both short- and long-term exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations disrupted biochemical composition including proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids.
Emerging challenges of microplastic impacts to ecological health and climate change
This review examines how microplastics contribute not only to environmental pollution but also to climate change by altering microbial processes, disrupting biogeochemical cycles, and promoting greenhouse gas release. Researchers found that microplastics affect carbon cycling, phytoplankton photosynthesis, and atmospheric processes in ways that may exacerbate global warming. The study highlights significant knowledge gaps in understanding the mechanisms linking microplastic pollution to greenhouse gas emissions.