Marine Biotechnology & Bioresource Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Busan 49111, Republic of Korea; Department of Ocean Science, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
Ecological Risk Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea; Department of Ocean Science, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2024 Oct 15;285:117056. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.117056. Epub 2024 Sep 19.
In marine environments, exposure to microplastics threaten various organisms. A large portion of MPs may be bioavailable to copepods, and ingesting MPs has been reported to induce various adverse effects, including increased mortality, developmental retardation, and decreased reproduction. Adverse effects of MPs on these important processes of copepods may be induced by the obstructive effects of the ingested MPs on energy acquisition. However, few studies have explored the biological effects of MPs on copepods in terms of energy budgets. Therefore, we analyzed ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels, enzyme activities, swimming distances, and excretion rates in marine copepods (Tigriopus koreanus) that have ingested polystyrene microplastics. Our results indicate that the ingestion of MPs may prevent adequate acquisition of nourishment and lead the copepods into a vicious circle in the respect to energetic burden. Our study provides biochemical evidence for a reduction in the energy budget of copepods due to MPs ingestion. Further, this study increases our understanding of the risks of microplastics, by providing advanced evidences of their effects on marine primary consumer.
在海洋环境中，微塑料的暴露会威胁到各种生物。大量的微塑料可能对桡足类动物是生物可利用的，并且已经报道了摄入微塑料会引起各种不良影响，包括死亡率增加、发育迟缓以及繁殖减少。微塑料对桡足类动物这些重要过程的不良影响可能是由于摄入的微塑料对能量获取的阻塞作用引起的。然而，很少有研究从能量预算的角度探讨微塑料对桡足类动物的生物学影响。因此，我们分析了摄入聚苯乙烯微塑料的海洋桡足类动物（Tigriopus koreanus）中的 ATP（三磷酸腺苷）水平、酶活性、游泳距离和排泄率。我们的结果表明，微塑料的摄入可能会阻止营养物质的充分获取，并使桡足类动物在能量负担方面陷入恶性循环。我们的研究为由于摄入微塑料导致桡足类动物能量预算减少提供了生化证据。此外，通过提供微塑料对海洋初级消费者影响的新证据，本研究增加了我们对微塑料风险的认识。
