Effect of microplastic ingestion on heterotrophic dinoflagellate ingestion rates

Data were collected examining the effect of microplastic ingestion on heterotrophic dinoflagellate ingestion rates. Heterotrophic dinoflagellate species O. marina and Gyrodinium sp. were incubated for 5 days under two conditions: a control, fed only algal prey I. galbana, and a treatment fed algal prey and microplastic particles. Samples were taken every 24 hours, with abundances of dinoflagellates, algal prey, and microplastics measured with a Beckman Coulter Counter and verified via microscopy. Ingestion rates were measured and compared between treatments.