Microplastics transferring from abiotic to biotic in aquatic ecosystem: A mini review

Microplastics have been detected in global aquatic ecosystems, so it is vital to understand the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of microplastics for ecological risk assessment. However, variability between studies, including sam-pling, pretreatment processes, and polymer identification methods have made it difficult to draw definitive conclu-sions. Alternatively, the compilation and statistical analysis of available experimental and investigation data provides insight into the fates of microplastics in an aquatic ecosystem. To reduce bias, we performed a systematic lit-erature retrieval and compiled these reports on microplastic abundance in the natural aquatic environment. Our results indicate that microplastics are more abundant in sediments than in water, mussels, and fish. There is a significant cor-relation between mussels and sediments, but not between water and mussels or between water/sediment and fish. Bio-accumulation of microplastics appears to occur through water, but the route of biomagnification is unclear. More sound evidence is required to fully understand the biomagnification of microplastics in aquatic environments.

Automated summary

Microplastics have been found in aquatic ecosystems worldwide, and understanding their bioaccumulation and biomagnification is crucial for ecological risk assessment. However, variations in study methodologies have made it difficult to reach definitive conclusions. By compiling and analyzing available data, it is revealed that microplastics are more abundant in sediments compared to water, mussels, and fish. There is a significant correlation between mussels and sediments, but not between water and mussels or water/sediment and fish. Further research is needed to fully comprehend the biomagnification of microplastics in aquatic environments.