Research trends in nano- and microplastic ingestion in marine planktonic food webs
Abstract
Over the past decade, microplastic research on ingestion and impacts in marine biota has received significant attention. Zooplankton has become a subject of interest due to their crucial role in marine food webs. This review focuses on trends in nano- and microplastics (NMPs) ingestion studies in marine zooplankton. Four groups of organisms were considered: protozoans, holoplankton, meroplankton and ichthyoplankton. Of 120 reviewed articles, holoplankton was the most studied group, with laboratory experiments dominating over field studies. Although NMPs sizes and polymer types are diversifying in laboratory experiments, their characteristics are still far from representing the complexity of NMPs found in nature. Polystyrene (as polymer type) and beads (as shape) are overrepresented in laboratory experiments (54% and 79%, respectively). Furthermore, most NMPs concentrations used in the laboratory exceed those found in the field. The units used to report ingestion of NMPs in zooplankton vary greatly, with “microplastics per individual” being the most frequently used. In addition, certain planktonic groups (e.g., protozoans and ichthyoplankton) and behavioral traits, such as ambush feeding, have been poorly investigated. This variability hampers comparisons between studies and thus mechanistic insights into NMPs ingestion in marine zooplankton. This review identifies research gaps and it highlights the ongoing disparity between environmental and laboratory conditions in zooplankton ingestion studies. We encourage the scientific community to harmonize the reporting units for NMPs ingestion and focus on more environmentally realistic studies with a trait-based approach. Transitioning towards more hypothesis-driven experiments is crucial to clarify the mechanistic importance of environmentally relevant microplastic features. • Microplastic concentrations in laboratory studies do not overlap with field samples. • Laboratory studies do not reflect the plastic characteristics found in the field. • Polymer types used in laboratory studies have diversified over time. • Standardizing NMPs ingestion reporting units is essential for cross-study comparisons. • Relevant traits (feeding behavior) and key taxonomic groups are poorly addressed.
Related
- Microplastic and Nanoplastic Pollution in Zooplankton: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Ingestion, Ecotoxicological Effects, and Research Gaps
- Microplastic contamination in commercially important marine fishes from the Sohar Coast, Sea of Oman: occurrence, characterization, and polymer composition
- Governance of dietary microplastic exposure risk in marine ranching in the context of climate change.
- Coastal Landfills as Emerging and Poorly Quantified Sources of Marine Microplastics: Evidence Gaps, Flux Scenarios and Research Priorities
- National marine research infrastructure: an enabler for Australia’s sustainable ocean future
BibTeX
@article{rodrigueztorres2026research,
title = {{Research trends in nano- and microplastic ingestion in marine planktonic food webs}},
author = {R. Rodríguez-Torres and S. Rist and R. Almeda and T.G. Nielsen and M.L. Pedrotti and N.B. Hartmann},
journal = {Environmental Pollution},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125136},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05853533v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Research trends in nano- and microplastic ingestion in marine planktonic food webs
AU - R. Rodríguez-Torres
AU - S. Rist
AU - R. Almeda
AU - T.G. Nielsen
AU - M.L. Pedrotti
AU - N.B. Hartmann
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Environmental Pollution
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125136
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05853533v1
AB - Over the past decade, microplastic research on ingestion and impacts in marine biota has received significant attention. Zooplankton has become a subject of interest due to their crucial role in marine food webs. This review focuses on trends in nano- and microplastics (NMPs) ingestion studies in marine zooplankton. Four groups of organisms were considered: protozoans, holoplankton, meroplankton and ichthyoplankton. Of 120 reviewed articles, holoplankton was the most studied group, with laboratory experiments dominating over field studies. Although NMPs sizes and polymer types are diversifying in laboratory experiments, their characteristics are still far from representing the complexity of NMPs found in nature. Polystyrene (as polymer type) and beads (as shape) are overrepresented in laboratory experiments (54% and 79%, respectively). Furthermore, most NMPs concentrations used in the laboratory exceed those found in the field. The units used to report ingestion of NMPs in zooplankton vary greatly, with “microplastics per individual” being the most frequently used. In addition, certain planktonic groups (e.g., protozoans and ichthyoplankton) and behavioral traits, such as ambush feeding, have been poorly investigated. This variability hampers comparisons between studies and thus mechanistic insights into NMPs ingestion in marine zooplankton. This review identifies research gaps and it highlights the ongoing disparity between environmental and laboratory conditions in zooplankton ingestion studies. We encourage the scientific community to harmonize the reporting units for NMPs ingestion and focus on more environmentally realistic studies with a trait-based approach. Transitioning towards more hypothesis-driven experiments is crucial to clarify the mechanistic importance of environmentally relevant microplastic features. • Microplastic concentrations in laboratory studies do not overlap with field samples. • Laboratory studies do not reflect the plastic characteristics found in the field. • Polymer types used in laboratory studies have diversified over time. • Standardizing NMPs ingestion reporting units is essential for cross-study comparisons. • Relevant traits (feeding behavior) and key taxonomic groups are poorly addressed.
SN - 0269-7491
SN - 1873-6424
ER -