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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics\nAffect the Ecological Functioning of\nan Important Biogenic Habitat
ClearMicroplastics Affect the Ecological Functioning of an Important Biogenic Habitat
Researchers tested how microplastics affect the ecological functioning of oyster and mussel habitats in outdoor mesocosms. The study found that both biodegradable and conventional microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations can alter filtration rates and nutrient cycling in these important biogenic habitats, suggesting broader ecosystem-level impacts.
The impacts of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics (mPETs) on ecosystem functionality in marine sediment
Researchers found that PET microplastics disrupted key ecosystem functions in marine sediments over a 31-day experiment, impairing nutrient cycling and the activity of bivalves and microphytobenthos. The results suggest that even moderate concentrations of microplastics can harm the ecological services provided by seafloor communities.
Response of sediment-dwelling bivalves to microplastics and its potential implications for benthic processes
This microcosm study found that microplastics affect the feeding, burrowing, and bioirrigation behaviors of two sediment-dwelling bivalve species, with effects that could alter benthic nutrient cycling. Changes in bivalve behavior caused by microplastic exposure have broader implications for the ecosystem services these organisms provide in marine sediments.
Effects of microplastics on European flat oysters, Ostrea edulis and their associated benthic communities
Researchers assessed the effects of microplastics on European flat oysters and their associated benthic communities in outdoor mesocosms. The study found that microplastic exposure affected oyster health and biological functioning, and also altered the structure of surrounding macrofaunal assemblages, demonstrating that microplastic pollution can have community-level ecological impacts.
Microplastics interact with benthic biostabilization processes
This study examined how marine microplastics interfere with biostabilization — the natural process where seafloor organisms and algae bind sediment particles together. Microplastics disrupted the work of biofilm-forming organisms and invertebrates that normally stabilize seabed sediments. These findings suggest microplastics may destabilize marine sediment ecosystems in ways that affect coastal erosion and water clarity.
Are microplastics impacting shellfish?
Researchers investigated whether microplastic contamination measurably impacts shellfish physiology, growth, reproduction, and health outcomes, assessing the ecological and food safety implications of microplastic exposure in commercially and ecologically important bivalve species.
Intertidal Concentrations of Microplastics and Their Influence on Ammonium Cycling as Related to the Shellfish Industry
Researchers determined the concentration and spatial distribution of microplastics in intertidal sediments at shellfish aquaculture sites and investigated their influence on ammonium cycling, finding that elevated microplastic concentrations altered nitrogen processing by benthic microbial communities. The results suggest microplastics at aquaculture densities may disrupt sediment nutrient dynamics with potential implications for shellfish productivity.
Microplastics alter digestive enzyme activities in the marine bivalve, Mytilus galloprovincialis
Researchers incubated Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) with polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics and measured changes in digestive enzyme activity, finding significant reductions in amylase and protease activity, suggesting that microplastics impair nutrient digestion in filter-feeding bivalves.
Real-world impacts of microplastic pollution on seafloor ecosystem function
Using a field-based sampling design, researchers found that microplastic pollution along a gradient in Waitemata Harbour, New Zealand, was significantly associated with reduced benthic ecosystem function including reduced bioturbation and organic matter processing. The study provides rare real-world evidence that microplastic pollution affects seafloor ecosystem processes.
Environmentally relevant microplastic exposure affects sediment-dwelling bivalves
Researchers exposed two species of sediment-dwelling bivalves to polyethylene microplastics at three concentrations and three size classes for four weeks. The study found species-specific responses including reduced body condition and altered burrowing behavior, suggesting that even at environmentally relevant concentrations, microplastics can affect the physiology and behavior of benthic bivalves.
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.
Effects of microplastics on the structure and function of bacterial communities in sediments of a freshwater lake
Researchers examined how microplastics alter the structure and function of bacterial communities in sediments, finding that plastic exposure shifted community composition and reduced overall diversity compared to plastic-free controls. Functional analysis showed impaired denitrification and organic matter decomposition in microplastic-contaminated sediments, indicating ecosystem-level consequences for nutrient cycling.
Microbial Community Dynamics and Biogeochemical Cycling in Microplastic-Contaminated Sediment
This review summarizes current research on how microplastics alter microbial communities and nutrient cycling processes in sediments at the bottom of water bodies. Researchers found that the effects depend on the type of plastic, exposure duration, and the specific sediment environment, with biodegradable plastics causing the most significant changes. The study highlights that microplastics in sediments can reshape the microbial ecosystems that drive essential biogeochemical processes like carbon and nitrogen cycling.
Can Microplastic Pollution Change Important Aquatic Bacterial Communities?
Microplastics in coastal sediments can change the composition of important bacterial communities that cycle nutrients and maintain ecosystem health. Microplastic-associated bacteria differ significantly from natural sediment bacteria, with potential consequences for the chemical processes these communities perform.
A Study of the Effects of Microplastics on Microbial Communities in Marine Sediments
This study investigated how the presence of microplastics in marine sediments affects microbial communities and, specifically, the methane cycle, finding that microplastics significantly altered microbial community structure and function. Since marine sediment microbes play a critical role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic contamination could have broader climate-relevant effects beyond direct toxicity.
Is soft-sediments ecosystem service delivery compromised due to microplastic pollution?
This review examines how microplastic pollution may compromise ecosystem service delivery in soft-sediment habitats, focusing on potential impacts on microphytobenthic microbial communities that underpin nutrient cycling, sediment stabilization, and food web productivity. The authors argue that because soft sediments act as microplastic sinks, their resident microbial communities face disproportionate exposure, and call for holistic research linking microplastic effects on microbial diversity and biogeochemical function to broader ecosystem service outcomes.
Short-term microplastic effects on marine meiofauna abundance, diversity and community composition
Researchers examined short-term effects of microplastics on marine meiofauna, measuring changes in abundance, species diversity, and community composition after plastic addition, finding dose-dependent disruption to these ecologically important small invertebrates.
Microplastic impacts on soil and sediment bioturbation: insights from microcosm experiments across diverse ecosystems
This study used microcosm experiments across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems to assess whether microplastics affect bioturbation — the physical reworking of sediment and soil by organisms. Microplastic exposure reduced bioturbation activity in multiple ecosystems, with implications for nutrient cycling and sediment health.
Impact of microplastics exposure on the reconfiguration of viral community structure and disruption of ecological functions in the digestive gland of Mytilus coruscus
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastic ingestion affects the viral community in the digestive glands of thick-shelled mussels through a field exposure experiment. They found that microplastic ingestion significantly reduced virome diversity and altered viral community composition, while microplastic biofilms carried abundant antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors. The findings suggest that microplastics may serve as vectors for spreading resistance genes and destabilizing microbial networks in marine organisms.
[Response of Water-Vallisneria natans-Sediment System to Polyethylene Microplastics].
This study examined how polyethylene microplastics affect the water-Vallisneria natans-sediment system, finding that microplastic exposure alters aquatic plant physiology, sediment microbial activity, and nutrient cycling dynamics.
Microplastic Feeding and Vital Function of Bivalves Mercenaria Mercenaria in Coastal Zone of Tokyo Bay
Researchers investigated microplastic abundance in coastal sediments of Tokyo Bay and examined the relationship between microplastic ingestion and the physiology of the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria at Yatsu Tidal Flat. Feeding experiments found that clams expelled microplastics in pseudofeces rather than retaining them in tissue, but microplastic exposure increased filtration volume, suggesting effects on vital physiological functions.
Polyethylene microplastics interfere with the nutrient cycle in water-plant-sediment systems
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect nutrient cycling in freshwater systems containing submerged plants and sediment. They found that the microplastics significantly reduced nitrogen and carbon content in plant leaves and disrupted the microbial communities in sediment responsible for nutrient processing. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can interfere with fundamental biogeochemical cycles that maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems.
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.
Microplastic accumulation and ecological impacts on benthic invertebrates: Insights from a microcosm experiment
In a month-long experiment, researchers exposed marine invertebrates like mussels and clams to small microplastics and found that the particles accumulated mainly in the gut, gills, and reproductive organs. Different species absorbed different types and sizes of microplastics, and bottom-dwelling organisms suffered energy loss from the exposure. Since many of these species are consumed as seafood, their microplastic accumulation represents a direct pathway for human exposure.