Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

Microplastics could break down whole ecosystems — they’re making prey unresponsive to predators

This could be a very bad development.

Alexandru Micu by Alexandru Micu
December 27, 2018
in Animals, Environment, News, Pollution, Science, World Problems

Our microplastics are a much more important factor in the health of the ocean than suspected. And they’re up to no good.

Microplastics.
Microplastics.
Image credits Oregon State University / Flickr.

Researchers at the French National Centre for Scientific Research report that microplastics can disrupt predator-prey relationships in the wild. In a new study, the group describes the impact of microplastic consumption on the common periwinkle (Littorina littorea).

Micropastics, macro effects

Periwinkles are a kind of sea snail. They’re not… particularly exciting. They sit on algae-encrusted rocks all day, munching on the plants. They are, however, considered to be a keystone species — they’re prey for many other species, especially crabs (we also eat them sometimes).

The authors wanted to find out what would happen should these periwinkles dine on algae that have absorbed microplastics. Prior research has shown that algae absorbing such products become enriched in hazardous chemicals and metals. Microplastics are porous and soak up these chemicals as they flute around (we’re dumping those chemicals there, too).

Microplastics.
Microplastic beads. They’re quite porous.
Image credits International Maritime Organization / Flickr.

The team’s hypothesis was that when a periwinkle eats the algae, it is also eating the hazardous materials present in the algae. In order to test if this results in any adverse changes for the snails, the team gathered a few periwinkles and brought them into the lab for testing. They also brought along a few crabs to use as predators.

They report that periwinkles which consumed the toxic materials did not react to the crabs in an expected way. Normally, upon spying the predator, the snails pull into their shells or try to hide in the surrounding environment. Those exposed to the toxic materials did not attempt to avoid capture, however, suggesting that they suffered nerve damage of some sort. This is likely due to the ingestion of heavy metals, the team adds.

They note that the levels of toxicity in the microplastics they used for the study were equivalent to those on a typical beach. The findings are thus broadly applicable in real-world conditions — and they point to major changes in the marine environment due to the microplastics we’ve introduced.

The paper “Microplastic leachates impair behavioural vigilance and predator avoidance in a temperate intertidal gastropod” has been published in the journal Biology Letters.

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Florida’s birds of prey are full of microplastics
  2. Predators can change their prey’s brains
  3. Why don’t they just eat all of them – predator-prey study reveals new law governing ecosystems
  4. Wind turbines act as apex predators in local ecosystems
  5. T-rex and other top dinosaur predators had serrated teeth to butcher their prey
Tags: crabmicroplasticsPeriwinklespredatorPrey

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW