Parental and trophic transfer of nanoscale plastic debris in an assembled aquatic food chain as a function of particle size.

The existing limitations in analytical techniques for characterization and quantification of nanoscale plastic debris (NPD) in organisms hinder understanding of the parental and trophic transfer of NPD in organisms. Herein, we used iron oxide-doped polystyrene (PS) NPD (Fe-PS-NPD) of 270 nm and Europium (Eu)-doped PS-NPD (Eu-PS-NPD) of 640 nm to circumvent these limitations and to evaluate the influence of particle size on the trophic transfer of NPD along an algae-daphnids food chain and on the reproduction of daphnids fed with NPD-exposed algae. We used Fe and Eu as proxies for the Fe-PS-NPD and Eu-Ps-NPD, respectively. The algae cells (Pseudokirchinella subcapitata) were exposed to 4.8 × 10 particles/L of Fe-PS-NPD or Eu-PS-NPD for 72 h. A high percentage (>60%) of the NPD was associated with algal cells. Only a small fraction (<11%) of the NPD, however, was transferred to daphnids fed for 21 days on the NPD-exposed algae. The uptake and trophic transfer of the 270 nm Fe-PS-NPD were higher than those for the 640 nm Eu-PS-NPD, indicating that smaller NPD are more likely to transfer along food chains. After exposure to Fe-PS-NPD, the time to first brood was prolonged and the number of neonates per adult significantly decreased compared to the control without any exposure and compared to daphnids exposed to the Eu-Ps-NPD. The offspring of daphnids exposed to Eu-PS-NPD through algae, showed a traceable concentration of Eu, suggesting that NPD are transferred from parents to offspring. We conclude that NPD can be transferred in food chains and caused reproductive toxicity as a function of NPD size. Studies with prolonged exposure and weathered NPD are endeavored to increase environmental realism of the impacts determined.