A multi-levels analysis to evaluate the toxicity of microplastics on aquatic insects: A case study with damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans)
Microplastic (MP) pollution prevalent in freshwater environments and jeopardizes the organisms living there. Dozens of studies have been conducted to investigate the harmful effects of microplastics on organisms. However, the most diverse and sensitive aquatic insects are often overlooked, also ther...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651324015239 |
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| author | Lin Sun Zhongyan Cheng Mei Wang Chao Wei Haoyu Liu Yuxia Yang |
| author_facet | Lin Sun Zhongyan Cheng Mei Wang Chao Wei Haoyu Liu Yuxia Yang |
| author_sort | Lin Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microplastic (MP) pollution prevalent in freshwater environments and jeopardizes the organisms living there. Dozens of studies have been conducted to investigate the harmful effects of microplastics on organisms. However, the most diverse and sensitive aquatic insects are often overlooked, also there is a lack of a comprehensive research exploring the toxicity of microplastics. Here, taking the damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) as the subject, we investigated the effects of different concentration levels of polystyrene microplastics (PS MPs) on their physiological characters, behavioristics, metabolomics and transcriptomics, as well as gut microbiome. The results showed that the PS MPs had no significant effects on the body weight and survival rate, but led to behavioral inhibition. Furthermore, expression levels of some metabolites altered, such as nicotinic acid, fumaric acid, and stearic acid. Meanwhile, the pathways related to oxidative phosphorylation and carbon metabolism were upregulated at the transcriptomic level. Moreover, there was a modification of the gut microbial community, with an increase in species richness but a shift towards potentially harmful bacteria. Our findings suggested that exposure to PS MPs affected the overall health of damselfly larvae. Therefore, effective management of MPs to minimize their environmental input is crucial in reducing health risks to aquatic organisms. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-95eea501947044269f5d6318808f65ee |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0147-6513 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj-art-95eea501947044269f5d6318808f65ee2025-01-23T05:25:35ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132025-01-01289117447A multi-levels analysis to evaluate the toxicity of microplastics on aquatic insects: A case study with damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans)Lin Sun0Zhongyan Cheng1Mei Wang2Chao Wei3Haoyu Liu4Yuxia Yang5Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application, School of Life Science, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, ChinaKey Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application, School of Life Science, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, ChinaKey Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application, School of Life Science, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China; Corresponding author.Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application, School of Life Science, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China; Hebei Basic Science Center for Biotic Interaction, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China; Corresponding author at: Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application, School of Life Science, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China.Microplastic (MP) pollution prevalent in freshwater environments and jeopardizes the organisms living there. Dozens of studies have been conducted to investigate the harmful effects of microplastics on organisms. However, the most diverse and sensitive aquatic insects are often overlooked, also there is a lack of a comprehensive research exploring the toxicity of microplastics. Here, taking the damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) as the subject, we investigated the effects of different concentration levels of polystyrene microplastics (PS MPs) on their physiological characters, behavioristics, metabolomics and transcriptomics, as well as gut microbiome. The results showed that the PS MPs had no significant effects on the body weight and survival rate, but led to behavioral inhibition. Furthermore, expression levels of some metabolites altered, such as nicotinic acid, fumaric acid, and stearic acid. Meanwhile, the pathways related to oxidative phosphorylation and carbon metabolism were upregulated at the transcriptomic level. Moreover, there was a modification of the gut microbial community, with an increase in species richness but a shift towards potentially harmful bacteria. Our findings suggested that exposure to PS MPs affected the overall health of damselfly larvae. Therefore, effective management of MPs to minimize their environmental input is crucial in reducing health risks to aquatic organisms.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651324015239Damselfly larvaePolystyrene microplasticsBehavioristicsTranscriptomics and metabolomicsIntestinal microbiota |
| spellingShingle | Lin Sun Zhongyan Cheng Mei Wang Chao Wei Haoyu Liu Yuxia Yang A multi-levels analysis to evaluate the toxicity of microplastics on aquatic insects: A case study with damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Damselfly larvae Polystyrene microplastics Behavioristics Transcriptomics and metabolomics Intestinal microbiota |
| title | A multi-levels analysis to evaluate the toxicity of microplastics on aquatic insects: A case study with damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) |
| title_full | A multi-levels analysis to evaluate the toxicity of microplastics on aquatic insects: A case study with damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) |
| title_fullStr | A multi-levels analysis to evaluate the toxicity of microplastics on aquatic insects: A case study with damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) |
| title_full_unstemmed | A multi-levels analysis to evaluate the toxicity of microplastics on aquatic insects: A case study with damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) |
| title_short | A multi-levels analysis to evaluate the toxicity of microplastics on aquatic insects: A case study with damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) |
| title_sort | multi levels analysis to evaluate the toxicity of microplastics on aquatic insects a case study with damselfly larvae ischnura elegans |
| topic | Damselfly larvae Polystyrene microplastics Behavioristics Transcriptomics and metabolomics Intestinal microbiota |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651324015239 |
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