Bioavailability of microplastics to marine zooplankton: effect of shape and infochemicals
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Abstract The underlying mechanisms that influence microplastic ingestion in marine zooplankton remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate how microplastics of a variety of shapes (bead, fiber, and fragment), in combination with the algal-derived infochemicals dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), affect the ingestion rate of microplastics in three species of zooplankton, the copepods Calanus helgolandicus and Acartia tonsa and larvae of the European lobster Homarus gammarus. We show that shape affects microplastic bioavailability to different species of zooplankton, with each species ingesting significantly more of a certain shape: C. helgolandicus─fragments (P < 0.05); A. tonsa─fibers (P < 0.01); H. gammarus larvae─beads (P < 0.05). Thus, different feeding strategies between species may affect shape selectivity. Our results also showed significantly increased ingestion rates by C. helgolandicus on all microplastics that were infused with DMS (P < 0.01) and by H. gammarus larvae and A. tonsa on DMS-infused fibers and fragments (P < 0.05). By using a range of more environmentally relevant microplastics, our findings highlight how the feeding strategies of different zooplankton species may influence their susceptibility to microplastic ingestion. Furthermore, our novel study suggests that species reliant on chemosensory cues to locate their prey may be at an increased risk of ingesting aged microplastics in the marine environment.
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Biofilm formation on microplastics can modify their ingestion by organisms.
“Biofilm formation on MPs can modify their ingestion by organisms, for example, some MPs coated with biofilms can release into the water noxious signals, known as infochemicals, prompting nearby organisms to ingest them [55].”
From Assessing the ecological consequences of biodegradable plastics: Acute, chronic and multigenerational impacts of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate microplastics on freshwater invertebrate Daphnia magna (2024) · cites this paper as [55]
The Discussion (p. 8) says biofilms could give microplastics an infochemical signature that increases ingestion, and the Results (p. 6) report increased ingestion of microplastics infused with DMS. The paper did not test biofilm-coated microplastics releasing signals into water; it describes that pathway as a possibility and the signals as potentially attractive food cues, not noxious signals. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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A plastic world: A review of microplastic pollution in the freshwaters of the Earth's poles
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“Biofilm formation on MPs can modify their ingestion by organisms, for example, some MPs coated with biofilms can release into the water noxious signals, known as infochemicals, prompting nearby organisms to ingest them [55].”
BackgroundMicroplastic ingestion in marine mesozooplankton species associated with functional feeding traits
Valdez-Cibrián, A., Kozak, E. R., & Franco-Gordo, C. (2024) · Marine Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106650 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
- Authors
- Botterell, Z. L. R., Beaumont, N., Cole, M., Hopkins, F. E., Steinke, M., Thompson, R. C., & Lindeque, P. K.
- Affiliations
- University of Essex (GB)
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory (GB)
- University of Plymouth (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Lindeque, Penelope K.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2020-09-15
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 19
- Pages
- 12024-12033
- ISSN
- 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5851
- OpenAlex
- W3086266959
- Cited by
- 193
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2026: 36 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 45 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 16
- FWCI
- 5.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Marine Biological Association (acceptedVersion)
- Open Access at Essex (University of Essex) (acceptedVersion)
- PEARL (University of Plymouth) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Natural Environment Research Council (NE/L002582/1)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Keywords
- microplastics, marine zooplankton, microplastic ingestion, microplastic shape, dimethyl sulfide, dimethylsulfoniopropionate, semiochemicals, Calanus helgolandicus, Acartia tonsa, copepods, feeding strategies, chemosensory cues, microplastic fibers, microplastic fragments
- MeSH terms
- Microplastics, Animals, Biological Availability, Environmental Monitoring, Plastics, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Zooplankton
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