Microplastic and nanoplastic exposure and toxicity across marine taxa
Brander, S.; Cunningham, B.; Van Brocklin, J.; Dickens, J.; Plafcan, M.; Lasdin, K.; Harper, S.; Granek, E. (2025). Microplastic and nanoplastic exposure and toxicity across marine taxa, in: Shumway, S.E. et al. Plastics in the sea: occurrence and impacts. pp. 161-276. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-822324-6.00012-8
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| Keywords |
Aquatic organisms > Marine organisms > Aquatic mammals > Marine mammals
Fish
Fragmentation
Invertebrates
Microfibers
Toxicology
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| Author keywords |
Plastic pollution; Microplastic; Nanoplastic; Ecosystem; Ocean |
| Authors | | Top |
- Brander, S.
- Cunningham, B.
- Van Brocklin, J.
- Dickens, J.
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- Plafcan, M.
- Lasdin, K.
- Harper, S.
- Granek, E.
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| Abstract |
Plastic pollution, one of our most critical environmental issues, is expected to triple by 2060. While two decades of research has greatly advanced our understanding of microplastics exposure and toxicity, there is an immediate need for systemic change and sustainable alternatives. Microplastics studies now commonly examine microplastics across a diversity of shapes, sizes and polymer types, as well as their complex toxicological effects on organisms. These effects vary with plastic characteristics, including exposure duration, weathering, and environmental interactions. While standardized assays do not yet exist, unity among approaches to toxicity testing is increasing. Microplastics are multiple stressors, with chronic exposure and abiotic factors, as well as associated chemicals, influencing their many impacts. While responses to microplastics are complex and sometimes inconsistent across taxa, researchers are identifying common effects and high-risk morphologies, such as microfibers. This work synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic and nanoplastic toxicity across marine taxa, aiming to identify patterns, explore variability, and account for factors like life stage and climate change in assessing responses. Herein we explore how micro- and nanoplastic (MNP) pollution elicits responses at the molecular, physiological, behavioral, population, and ecosystem levels. In summary, studies to date indicate that MNP exposure can lead to oxidative stress and translocation between tissues, histological damage, growth inhibition due to decreased energy reserves and impaired nutrient absorption, and behavioral changes, sometimes leading to population level alterations and complex impacts on ecosystem services. Research findings continue to be limited by the lack of standardized methodologies and the use of environmentally unrealistic commercial particles. In the future, studies should prioritized focus on environmentally relevant conditions, concentrations, chronic study durations and co-contaminants. While the harmful effects of MNPs are clear, there is a need for additional comprehensive, standardized, and long-term studies to fully understand their impacts on marine organisms and ecosystems, and for informing management strategies going forward. |
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