The impact of polystyrene microplastics on feeding, function and fecundity in the marine copepod Calanus helgolandicus.
By M. Cole, P. Lindeque, Elaine S. Fileman, C. Halsband, T. Galloway. Environmental Science and Technology, 2015
1,143 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Microscopic plastic debris, termed “microplastics”, are of increasing environmental concern. Recent studies have demonstrated that a range of zooplankton, including copepods, can ingest microplastics. Copepods are a globally abundant class of zooplankton that form a key trophic link between primary producers and higher trophic marine organisms. Here we demonstrate that ingestion of microplastics can significantly alter the feeding capacity of the pelagic copepod Calanus helgolandicus. Exposed to 20 μm polystyrene beads (75 microplastics mL(–1)) and cultured algae ([250 μg C L(–1)) for 24 h, C. helgolandicus ingested 11% fewer algal cells (P = 0.33) and 40% less carbon biomass (P < 0.01). There was a net downward shift in the mean size of algal prey consumed (P < 0.001), with a 3.6 fold increase in ingestion rate for the smallest size class of algal prey (11.6–12.6 μm), suggestive of postcapture or postingestion rejection. Prolonged exposure to polystyrene microplastics significantly decreased reproductive output, but there were no significant differences in egg production rates, respiration or survival. We constructed a conceptual energetic (carbon) budget showing that microplastic-exposed copepods suffer energetic depletion over time. We conclude that microplastics impede feeding in copepods, which over time could lead to sustained reductions in ingested carbon biomass.
Subfields: Biomaterials, Ocean Engineering, Pollution
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/24f291428e5fc4aa404b06352c89669630c732bf
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Citations in the corpus
- Microplastics and mesoplastics in fish from coastal and fresh waters of China. (2017, background): “Therefore, research regarding plastic pollution has focused on sources, fate and ecological effects of small particles in recent years (Cole et al., 2015; Hall et al., 2015; Rocha-Santos and Duarte, 2015).”
- Microplastics pollution in inland freshwaters of China: A case study in urban surface waters of Wuhan, China. (2017, background): “Owing to their fine sizes as sediments and some plankton, microplastics are considered bio-available to many aquatic organisms through mistaken ingestion and the food-web delivery (Cole et al., 2015; Cole et al., 2011; Wright et al., 2013).”
- Microplastics in mussels along the coastal waters of China. (2016, background): “Therefore, researchregardingplastic pollutionhas focusedon sources, fate and ecological effects of microplastic particles in recent years (Cole et al., 2015; Hall et al., 2015; Rocha-Santos and Duarte, 2015).”
- Microplastics in the aquatic and terrestrial environment: sources (with a specific focus on personal care products), fate and effects (2016, background): “This effect was attributed to energy depletion [172].”
- Oyster reproduction is affected by exposure to polystyrene microplastics (2016, background): “Effects on fitness have been reported, with decreases in survival and fecundity in copepods (20, 22) and reproductive disruption in Daphnia (21).”
- Interactions of Microplastics with Freshwater Biota (2018, background): “Effects on survival and growth as an outcome of reduced feeding have also been shown in the marine calanoid copepod Calanus helgolandicus [2].”
- Plastics and microplastics in the oceans: From emerging pollutants to emerged threat. (2017, background): “Ingestion of microplastics was shown to affect the physiology and health of marine zooplankton, e.g. decreasing feeding rate and fecundity success (Cole et al., 2013, 2015).”
- Wastewater treatment plants as a pathway for microplastics: Development of a new approach to sample wastewater-based microplastics. (2017, background): “…exposed aquatic organisms ranging from zooplankton to mammals 64 (Miranda and de Carvalho-Souza 2016) by blocking their digestive tract as well as providing a 65 feasible pathway to transfer trace organic contaminnts to the organism’s body (Avio et al. 2015, 66 Chua et al. 2014, Cole et al. 2015).”
- Current opinion: What is a nanoplastic? (2018, background): “The specific physical and chemical properties are generally the size, shape, surface, composition, (Brar et al., 2010; Colvin, 2003; Ju-Nam and Lead, 2008; Weinberg et al., 2011) and cannot be extrapolated to nanoplastics.”