Sublethal effects of microplastic and oil co-exposure on biological rates and lipid profiles of keystone Arctic copepods
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) and petroleum hydrocarbons are contaminants of emerging concern in the Arctic, but little is known about their co-exposure effects. In this study, we present the first assessment of the sublethal impacts resulting from combined exposure to microplastics and oil in three key Arctic copepod species. Specifically, we investigated the effects of a 5-day exposure to oil alone (1 μL L −1 ) and in combination with MPs (polyethylene microspheres, 20 μm, 20 MP mL −1 ) and dispersant (Corexit 9500, 0.05 μL L −1 ) on the biological functions and lipid profiles of the planktonic copepods Metridia longa , Calanus finmarchicus , and Calanus glacialis . Exposure to oil alone caused a significant reduction (34–58%) in fecal pellet production, but neither microplastics nor dispersant increased the negative effect of oil on fecal pellet production. C. glacialis and C. finmarchicus exposed to the studied pollutants for 5 days produced eggs with delayed hatching and lower hatching success. The highest hatching inhibition (50%) was observed in eggs of C. glacialis exposed to oil plus MPs and dispersant for five days. This indicates that maternal transfer of oil components to eggs negatively affects embryonic development and hatching. Lipid content and fatty acids profiles varied among the studied copepod species but were not affected by the tested pollutants after five days of exposure. By microscopical observation of fecal pellets, ingestion of small oil droplets and MPs was confirmed in all species, but the estimated ingestion of MPs was low (<25 MPs cop −1 d −1 , <0.2% of total offered MPs) suggesting avoidance of MP consumption in copepods. Our results indicate that virgin MPs did not increase the toxicity of oil to the studied Arctic copepods under co-exposure conditions, and dispersants can slightly increase certain adverse effects of oil (hatching). However, environmentally relevant concentrations of oil alone can negatively impact Arctic keystone copepods and potentially the biological carbon pump. These findings emphasize the need to reduce petrogenic pollution and the risk of oil spills in the sensitive Arctic ecosystem.
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BibTeX
@article{almeda2026sublethal,
title = {{Sublethal effects of microplastic and oil co-exposure on biological rates and lipid profiles of keystone Arctic copepods}},
author = {R. Almeda and R. Rodriguez-Torres and S. Rist and M. Winding and S. Jonasdottir and T. Gissel Nielsen},
journal = {Environmental Pollution},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125286},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05853739v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sublethal effects of microplastic and oil co-exposure on biological rates and lipid profiles of keystone Arctic copepods
AU - R. Almeda
AU - R. Rodriguez-Torres
AU - S. Rist
AU - M. Winding
AU - S. Jonasdottir
AU - T. Gissel Nielsen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Environmental Pollution
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125286
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05853739v1
AB - Microplastics (MPs) and petroleum hydrocarbons are contaminants of emerging concern in the Arctic, but little is known about their co-exposure effects. In this study, we present the first assessment of the sublethal impacts resulting from combined exposure to microplastics and oil in three key Arctic copepod species. Specifically, we investigated the effects of a 5-day exposure to oil alone (1 μL L −1 ) and in combination with MPs (polyethylene microspheres, 20 μm, 20 MP mL −1 ) and dispersant (Corexit 9500, 0.05 μL L −1 ) on the biological functions and lipid profiles of the planktonic copepods Metridia longa , Calanus finmarchicus , and Calanus glacialis . Exposure to oil alone caused a significant reduction (34–58%) in fecal pellet production, but neither microplastics nor dispersant increased the negative effect of oil on fecal pellet production. C. glacialis and C. finmarchicus exposed to the studied pollutants for 5 days produced eggs with delayed hatching and lower hatching success. The highest hatching inhibition (50%) was observed in eggs of C. glacialis exposed to oil plus MPs and dispersant for five days. This indicates that maternal transfer of oil components to eggs negatively affects embryonic development and hatching. Lipid content and fatty acids profiles varied among the studied copepod species but were not affected by the tested pollutants after five days of exposure. By microscopical observation of fecal pellets, ingestion of small oil droplets and MPs was confirmed in all species, but the estimated ingestion of MPs was low (<25 MPs cop −1 d −1 , <0.2% of total offered MPs) suggesting avoidance of MP consumption in copepods. Our results indicate that virgin MPs did not increase the toxicity of oil to the studied Arctic copepods under co-exposure conditions, and dispersants can slightly increase certain adverse effects of oil (hatching). However, environmentally relevant concentrations of oil alone can negatively impact Arctic keystone copepods and potentially the biological carbon pump. These findings emphasize the need to reduce petrogenic pollution and the risk of oil spills in the sensitive Arctic ecosystem.
SN - 0269-7491
SN - 1873-6424
ER -