Nava Veronica, Dar Jaffer Y, De Santis Vanessa, Fehlinger Lena, Pasqualini Julia, Adekolurejo Oloyede A, Burri Bryan, Cabrerizo Marco J, Chonova Teofana, Cour Mathilde, Dory Flavia, Drost Annemieke M, Figler Aida, Gionchetta Giulia, Halabowski Dariusz, Harvey Daniel R, Manzanares-Vázquez Víctor, Misteli Benjamin, Mori-Bazzano Laureen, Moser Valentin, Rotta Federica, Schmid-Paech Bianca, Touchet Camille M, Gostyńska Julia
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, Milan, 20126, Italy.
ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, 132001, India.
Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2025 Apr;100(2):834-854. doi: 10.1111/brv.13164. Epub 2024 Nov 14.
Phytoplankton is an essential resource in aquatic ecosystems, situated at the base of aquatic food webs. Plastic pollution can impact these organisms, potentially affecting the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. The interaction between plastics and phytoplankton is multifaceted: while microplastics can exert toxic effects on phytoplankton, plastics can also act as a substrate for colonisation. By reviewing the existing literature, this study aims to address pivotal questions concerning the intricate interplay among plastics and phytoplankton/phytobenthos and analyse impacts on fundamental ecosystem processes (e.g. primary production, nutrient cycling). This investigation spans both marine and freshwater ecosystems, examining diverse organisational levels from subcellular processes to entire ecosystems. The diverse chemical composition of plastics, along with their variable properties and role in forming the "plastisphere", underscores the complexity of their influences on aquatic environments. Morphological changes, alterations in metabolic processes, defence and stress responses, including homoaggregation and extracellular polysaccharide biosynthesis, represent adaptive strategies employed by phytoplankton to cope with plastic-induced stress. Plastics also serve as potential habitats for harmful algae and invasive species, thereby influencing biodiversity and environmental conditions. Processes affected by phytoplankton-plastic interaction can have cascading effects throughout the aquatic food web via altered bottom-up and top-down processes. This review emphasises that our understanding of how these multiple interactions compare in impact on natural processes is far from complete, and uncertainty persists regarding whether they drive significant alterations in ecological variables. A lack of comprehensive investigation poses a risk of overlooking fundamental aspects in addressing the environmental challenges associated with widespread plastic pollution.
浮游植物是水生生态系统中的重要资源，处于水生食物网的底层。塑料污染会影响这些生物，可能对水生生态系统的功能产生影响。塑料与浮游植物之间的相互作用是多方面的：微塑料会对浮游植物产生毒性作用，而塑料也可作为定殖的基质。通过回顾现有文献，本研究旨在解决有关塑料与浮游植物/底栖植物之间复杂相互作用的关键问题，并分析对基本生态系统过程（如初级生产、养分循环）的影响。这项调查涵盖海洋和淡水生态系统，研究从亚细胞过程到整个生态系统的不同组织层次。塑料的化学成分多样，其性质各异，在形成“塑料球”中的作用突出了它们对水生环境影响的复杂性。形态变化、代谢过程改变、防御和应激反应，包括同型聚集和胞外多糖生物合成，是浮游植物应对塑料诱导应激所采用的适应性策略。塑料也是有害藻类和入侵物种的潜在栖息地，从而影响生物多样性和环境状况。受浮游植物 - 塑料相互作用影响的过程可通过改变自下而上和自上而下的过程，在整个水生食物网中产生级联效应。本综述强调，我们对这些多重相互作用在对自然过程的影响方面的比较了解还远远不够完整，而且它们是否会导致生态变量的显著变化仍存在不确定性。缺乏全面的调查存在在应对与广泛塑料污染相关的环境挑战时忽视基本方面的风险。
