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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Zooplankton grazing of microplastic can accelerate global loss of ocean oxygen
ClearModel exploration of microplastic effects on zooplankton grazing reveal potential impacts on the global carbon cycle
Researchers used a global ocean model to explore how microplastics could affect zooplankton grazing and, in turn, the ocean's carbon cycle. The study suggests that while microplastic impacts on zooplankton remain concentrated in about 10% of the ocean surface, heavily contaminated areas like subtropical gyres could see meaningful shifts in biological carbon export to the deep ocean over the coming decades.
Zooplankton exposure to microplastics at global scale: Influence of vertical distribution and seasonality
Researchers used a global ocean model to assess zooplankton exposure to microplastics, finding that exposure varies significantly with depth, season, and zooplankton vertical migration patterns, with highest concentrations in subtropical gyres and near coastal pollution sources.
Constraining zooplankton exposure to microplastic at the global scale: results from a new coupled physical-biogeochemical model (NEMO/PISCES-PLASTIC)
Researchers used a global coupled physical-biogeochemical ocean model (NEMO/PISCES-PLASTIC) to estimate zooplankton exposure to microplastics across all oceanic regions and depth layers, simulating realistic nutrient and plankton cycling alongside a 3D microplastic transport module. The model enabled global-scale quantification of microplastic concentrations in zooplankton habitat zones, addressing the difficulty of direct in situ measurement and the largely unknown population-level impacts of microplastic ingestion on marine food webs.
Regionally disparate ecological responses to microplastic slowing of faecal pellets yields coherent carbon cycle response
This study modeled how microplastics slow the sinking of zooplankton fecal pellets and found that, despite regional variation in the ecological response, the net effect on the ocean carbon pump is a coherent reduction in carbon export to the deep ocean across different ocean regions.
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.
Zooplankton exposure to microplastics at the global scale: Influence of vertical distribution and seasonality
Researchers compiled a global dataset of variables used to model zooplankton exposure to microplastics, incorporating vertical distribution and seasonality factors to better characterize how different zooplankton depth preferences and seasonal migration patterns influence the degree of microplastic contact across ocean regions.
Modeling the Impact of Microplastics on Metabolic Rates andMortality of Zooplankton
Researchers developed a mathematical model to predict how microplastic exposure affects the metabolism and survival rates of zooplankton, the tiny animals that form the base of aquatic food chains. Understanding these effects is important because changes to zooplankton populations ripple upward through ecosystems to fish and the species that eat them.
Ingestion of Microplastics by Zooplankton in the Northeast Pacific Ocean
Researchers collected zooplankton from the northeast Pacific Ocean and found microplastics ingested by multiple species, demonstrating that microplastic uptake occurs throughout the open ocean zooplankton community far from coastlines.
How do microplastics affect the marine microbial loop? Predation of microplastics by microzooplankton
This study examined how micro- and nanoplastics affect marine protozoans that serve as key links in the microbial loop, the process of material and energy cycling in ocean ecosystems. Results showed that both size classes of plastic particles impaired protozoan predation on bacteria, potentially disrupting carbon and nutrient transfer in marine microbial food webs.
Do microplastics affect marine ecosystem productivity?
This study estimated the potential impact of microplastics on marine ecosystem productivity (algae and zooplankton growth) by synthesizing lab toxicity data. The analysis suggested that current environmental microplastic concentrations may reduce primary productivity in some ocean regions, with knock-on effects up the food chain.
Does microplastic ingestion by zooplankton affect predator-prey interactions? An experimental study on larviphagy
Filter feeders consumed significantly fewer zooplankton prey that had ingested microplastics compared to uncontaminated prey, suggesting that microplastic ingestion makes zooplankton less appealing or nutritious. This effect on predation could have cascading consequences for marine food webs.
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.
An assessment of the ecosystem services of marine zooplankton and the key threats to their provision
Researchers conducted the first comprehensive assessment of the ecosystem services that marine zooplankton provide, including supporting fisheries, carbon cycling, and nutrient transport. They found that stressors such as microplastic pollution, climate change, and overfishing could significantly reduce these services, with downstream effects on food security and human well-being. The study highlights that protecting zooplankton populations is essential for maintaining the broader benefits that healthy oceans provide to society.
Modelled broad-scale shifts on seafloor ecosystem functioning due to microplastic impacts on bioturbation
Model simulations incorporating experimental bioturbation data found that broad-scale reductions in seafloor bioturbation caused by microplastic impacts on marine invertebrates could significantly alter nutrient cycling in marine sediments at ecosystem scales.
Microplastics Alter the Properties and Sinking Rates of Zooplankton Faecal Pellets
Researchers found that when zooplankton ingest microplastics, the plastic particles become embedded in their fecal pellets, making those pellets smaller, less dense, and slower to sink. Since these pellets normally help transport carbon from the ocean surface to the deep sea as part of the biological pump, altered sinking rates could disrupt this important carbon cycle process. The study reveals a previously unrecognized way that microplastic pollution could affect ocean chemistry and climate regulation.
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.
Screening for microplastic particles in plankton samples: How to integrate marine litter assessment into existing monitoring programs?
Researchers monitored microplastic abundance in zooplankton net samples, finding 100–10,000 particles per cubic meter with no consistent seasonal or depth pattern. The study proposes that existing zooplankton monitoring programs could be adapted to simultaneously track microplastic pollution at relatively low additional cost.
A global biogeography analysis reveals vulnerability of surface marine zooplankton to anthropogenic stressors
Researchers used global ocean models to track multiple threats to zooplankton — tiny marine animals that support ocean food webs — and found that their combined vulnerability has doubled over the past 50 years due to warming, acidification, contaminants (including microplastics), and reduced food quality.
Microplastic-induced shifts in bioturbation and oxygen penetration depth in subtidal sediments
This study examined how microplastics affect meiofauna -- organisms smaller than 500 micrometers living between sediment grains -- and their role in biogeochemical cycling including bioturbation and oxygen penetration in subtidal sediments. Results showed microplastics shifted meiofaunal community structure, with cascading effects on sediment oxygen dynamics.
Does microplastic ingestion dramatically decrease the biomass of protozoa grazers? A case study on the marine ciliate Uronema marinum
Feeding experiments tested whether microplastic ingestion by the marine ciliate Uronema marinum dramatically reduced its biomass when grazing on bacteria, a key step in the microbial loop. Microplastic exposure reduced ciliate grazing efficiency and biomass, suggesting that protozoan grazers, an important link in microbial food webs, are negatively affected by microplastic contamination.
Modeling Decreased Resilience of Shallow Lake Ecosystems toward Eutrophication due to Microplastic Ingestion across the Food Web
Researchers used theoretical food web modelling to investigate how increasing microplastic concentrations affect the resilience of shallow lake ecosystems to eutrophication, finding that microplastics could reduce critical phosphorus loading thresholds by 20-40% by end of century at current production rates. The model identified negative effects on zooplankton as the primary driver, though secondary effects at current concentrations were predicted to be negligible.
Recovery from microplastic-induced marine deoxygenation may take centuries
Biogeochemical modeling showed that even complete removal of microplastics from the ocean starting in 2022 would not fully reverse microplastic-induced marine deoxygenation for centuries due to accumulated impacts on phytoplankton and oxygen cycling. The findings underscore the long-term consequences of microplastic pollution for ocean health.
Plastic leachates impair growth and oxygen production in Prochlorococcus, the ocean’s most abundant photosynthetic bacteria
Researchers found that chemicals leaching from common plastic items — high-density polyethylene bags and PVC matting — severely impaired growth and photosynthesis in Prochlorococcus, the ocean's most abundant photosynthetic bacteria and a critical driver of global oxygen production. This suggests plastic pollution in the ocean could disrupt the very base of the marine food web.
Zooplankton as a suitable tool for microplastic research
The study suggests that zooplankton can serve as a useful proxy for assessing the presence of microplastic particles in ocean waters, since these organisms ingest plastic particles both intentionally and accidentally. Researchers highlight the advantages of using zooplankton in laboratory studies and emphasize the need for reliable methodologies, especially for detecting smaller microplastic fractions under 100 micrometers.