Journal
WATER RESEARCH
Volume 248, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120877
Keywords
Planktonic ecosystem; Resource competition; Apparent competition; Community analysis; Causal relationship
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Although many studies have reported the negative effects of microplastics on aquatic organisms, this study provides evidence from a multiscale perspective on the impacts of microplastics on individual characteristics and population dynamics of two cladoceran species. The results show that microplastics have a significant impact on Daphnia magna, weakening its dominance in the coexistence system.
Although many studies have reported the negative effects of microplastics on aquatic organisms, most research is focused on individual scales. Individual studies highlight harm mechanisms, but understanding broader ecological effects necessitates evidence from multiscale perspectives, particularly those based on interspecific interactions. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the impacts of different microplastic concentrations (0, 0.4, 2, and 10 mg/L) on individual characteristics (physiology, behavior, and grazing rate) and population dynamics of two cladoceran species Daphnia magna and Scapholeberis kingi, and their interrelationships within communities in the absence and presence of predators (larvae of Agriocnemis pygmaea). We used 32-38 mu m polyethylene microplastics; these particles were detected in the guts of D. magna, especially at higher concentrations, but were not found in S. kingi. Consequently, with increasing microplastic concentrations, the grazing and reproductive capacity of D. magna diminished, weakening their dominance in the coexistence system without damselfly larvae. Additionally, as microplastic concentration increased, D. magna faced greater oxidative damage and a reduction in mobility, making this species more susceptible to predation by damselfly larvae and less dominant in the predator-inhabited coexistence system. This study reveals the mechanism by which asymmetric impacts of microplastics on individual traits altered interspecific competition between zooplankton species, thereby illuminating the role of microplastics in altering zooplankton communities.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available