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Updated: Dec 28, 2025

Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics on Bird Embryo Development by Hatching without Eggshell

Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics on Bird Embryo Development by Hatching without Eggshell

Published on: August 14, 2021

Microplastics in aquatic environments: Toxicity to trigger ecological consequences.

Hui Ma¹, Shengyan Pu², Shibin Liu³

¹State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection (Chengdu University of Technology), 1#, Dongsanlu, Erxianqiao, Chengdu 610059, Sichuan, PR China; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej, 401871, Frederiksberg, Denmark.

Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)

|February 17, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Microplastics in aquatic environments cause widespread harm to organisms and disrupt ecosystems. This review synthesizes research on microplastic toxicology and its ecological consequences, highlighting knowledge gaps.

Keywords:

Aquatic environment Ecotoxicology Microplastics Toxic effects

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Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris

Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris

Published on: July 28, 2018

Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Ecotoxicology
Aquatic Ecology

Background:

Microplastic pollution is a global issue with known adverse effects on aquatic organisms.
Long-term ecological consequences of microplastics remain under-researched, lacking systematic understanding.
Current research needs a coherent overview of microplastic toxicology and its broader ecological impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

To correlate organismal responses to microplastics with potential ecological disturbances.
To summarize the ecological consequences of microplastics in aquatic environments.
To identify barriers hindering the comprehensive understanding of microplastic toxicology.

Main Methods:

Cross-disciplinary review of scientific research from recent decades.
Analysis of physiochemical characteristics and distribution of microplastics.
Integration of toxicological data from individual organisms to ecosystem functioning.

Main Results:

Microplastics interfere with nutrient cycling and productivity.
Physiological stress in organisms includes behavioral, immune, and metabolic changes.
Microplastics threaten aquatic ecosystem composition, stability, and functioning.

Conclusions:

Microplastic ecotoxicity cascades from individual species to ecosystem collapse.
Understanding microplastic impacts requires integrating effects across biological levels.
Further research is needed to elucidate mechanisms of microplastic toxicity and ecological consequences.