Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning
EU Network of Excellence

 
Main Menu

· Home
· Contacts
· Data Systems
· Documents
· FAQ
· Links
· MarBEF Open Archive
· Network Description
· Outreach
· Photo Gallery
· Quality Assurance
· Register of Resources
· Research Projects
· Rules and Guidelines
· Training
· Wiki
· Worldconference

 

Register of Resources (RoR)

 People  |  Datasets  |  Literature  |  Institutes  |  Projects 

[ report an error in this record ]basket (1): add | show Print this page

one publication added to basket [351801]
Effects of microplastic on the population dynamics of a marine copepod: insights from a laboratory experiment and a mechanistic model
Everaert, G.; Vlaeminck, K.; Vandegehuchte, M.B.; Janssen, C.R. (2022). Effects of microplastic on the population dynamics of a marine copepod: insights from a laboratory experiment and a mechanistic model. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 41(7): 1663-1674. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/etc.5336
In: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Setac Press: New York. ISSN 0730-7268; e-ISSN 1552-8618
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keywords
    Copepoda [WoRMS]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    Polyethylene, population effects, copepod, marine environment

Authors  Top 
  • Everaert, G.
  • Vlaeminck, K.
  • Vandegehuchte, M.B.
  • Janssen, C.R.

Abstract
    Microplastic is ubiquitously and persistently present in the marine environment, but knowledge of its population-level effects is limited. In this study, to quantify the potential theoretical population effect of microplastic a two-step approach was followed. First, the impact of microplastic (polyethylene, 0.995 g cm-3, diameter 10-45 µm) on the filtration rate of the pelagic copepod Temora longicornis was investigated under laboratory conditions. It was found that the filtration rate decreased at increasing microplastic concentrations and followed a concentration-response relationship, but at microplastic concentrations below 100 particles L-1 the filtration rate was not affected. From the concentration-response relationship between the microplastic concentrations and the individual filtration rate a median effect concentration of the individual filtration rate (48h-EC50) of 1956 ± 311 particles L-1 was found. In a second step, the dynamics of a T. longicornis population were simulated for realistic environmental conditions, and the effects of microplastics on the population density equilibrium were assessed. The empirical filtration rate data were incorporated in an individual-based model implementation of the dynamic energy budget theory to deduct potential theoretical population level effects. The yearly averaged concentration at which the population equilibrium density would decrease by 50% was 593 ± 376 particles L-1. The theoretical effect concentrations at population level were a fourfold lower than effect concentrations at individual level. However, the theoretical effect concentrations at population level remain three to five orders of magnitude higher than ambient microplastic concentrations. Since the present experiment was short-term laboratory-based and the results were only indirectly validated with field data, the in situ implications of microplastic pollution for the dynamics of zooplankton field populations remains to be further investigated.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors 


If any information here appears to be incorrect, please contact us
Back to Register of Resources
 
Quick links

MarBEF WIKI

Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (EMBC)
Outreach

Science
Responsive Mode Programme (RMP) - Marie Nordstrom, copyright Aspden Rebecca

WoRMS
part of WoRMS logo

ERMS 2.0
Epinephelus marginatus Picture: JG Harmelin

EurOBIS

Geographic System

Datasets

 


Web site hosted and maintained by Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) - Contact data-at-marbef.org