DataSheet1_An enigma: A meta-analysis reveals the effect of ubiquitous microplastics on different taxa in aquatic systems.XLSX

Microplastics are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems globally, with tropical freshwater systems underrepresented in the literature. The ubiquity of microplastics may affect the feeding, growth, reproduction, and survival of organisms in aquatic systems; however, the data on the potential effects of microplastics on aquatic organisms is tentative. In the current study, I conducted a meta-analysis using published data to examine the impacts of microplastic exposure on functional traits (i.e., feeding, growth, reproduction, survival) of fish and aquatic invertebrates. The data revealed that while there were within-taxa negative effects on traits such as reproduction and growth some effect sizes were low, suggesting that the exposure to microplastics may vary across taxa. Globally, negative effects on growth, reproduction, and even survival were evident in some taxa (e.g., bivalves, crustaceans). Considering feeding habits, negative effects of microplastic were more pronounced in bacterivores, omnivores, predators, and filter feeders compared to shredders. In tropical freshwater systems, microplastics had no significant effects on the feeding, growth, reproduction, and survival of aquatic organisms. It is worth noting that organisms that are passive feeders (e.g., bivalves) may be particularly susceptible to microplastic pollution, which in turn may have long-lasting effects on the stability of lacustrine and lotic food webs. Because microplastics may impart more chronic effects than acute effects, future works must include understudied regions of the world (e.g., freshwater systems) and must emphasize the subtle role that microplastics may play on the physiology and behavior of organisms in the long term.

全球水生生态系统中，微塑料无处不在，而热带淡水系统在文献中却鲜有涉及。微塑料的普遍存在可能影响水生系统中生物的摄食、生长、繁殖和生存；然而，关于微塑料对水生生物潜在影响的数据尚显不足。在本次研究中，我通过对已发表的文献数据进行元分析，探讨了微塑料暴露对鱼类及水生无脊椎动物功能性特征（即摄食、生长、繁殖、生存）的影响。研究发现，尽管某些物种在繁殖和生长等特征上存在物种内负效应，但部分效应值较低，表明微塑料暴露的影响可能因物种而异。在全球范围内，一些物种（如双壳类、甲壳类）在生长、繁殖甚至生存方面均表现出负效应。考虑摄食习性，与碎屑食性生物相比，微塑料对细菌食性生物、杂食性生物、捕食者和滤食者的负效应更为显著。在热带淡水系统中，微塑料对水生生物的摄食、生长、繁殖和生存没有产生显著影响。值得注意的是，被动摄食生物（如双壳类）可能对微塑料污染尤为敏感，而这可能对湖泊和河流食物网的稳定性产生长期影响。鉴于微塑料可能产生的慢性效应超过急性效应，未来的研究必须包括世界上的研究较少地区（如淡水系统），并强调微塑料在长期对生物生理和行为产生微妙影响的作用。