Cascading effects of micro- and nano-plastics on lipid quality and transfer through freshwater planktonic ecosystems

微米和纳米塑料对脂质质量和通过淡水浮游生态系统转移的级联效应

• 批准号: 2435532
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2435532
• 关键词: Cascading; effects; micro; nano; plastics

Despite growing global concern about the occurrence of small plastic particles (nano- and micro-plastics) in the world's seas, rivers and lakes, there has been limited research into understanding any adverse effects on living organisms. Investigations of the consequences for aquatic food webs are even rarer.Recent, unique research at Cardiff University has shown how widespread algae are affected by some microplastics - specifically through changes in the composition of their lipids. These molecules are important in the structure and functioning of all cell membranes, including the plasma membrane, chloroplast and mitochondrial membranes, as well as in the waxes and steryl esters that provide structure to the extracellular layer and cell wall. The synthesis of essential fatty acids (FAs) also appears to be disrupted.These discoveries not only reveal a fundamental mechanism through which plastic could affect algae, but also suggests that plastic pollution could disrupt whole freshwater food webs from the bottom upwards. Zooplankton, for example, depend on high-quality algae for their food and growth, in turn providing important biomass for predators.This cutting-edge PhD will explore such effects further, investigating i) how different types and sizes of plastic (nano- to micro) affect the lipid composition of different algae and ii) assessing the potential for cascading effects between freshwater algae and zooplankton using microcosms, mesocosms and actual field conditions.

尽管全球越来越关注世界海洋、河流和湖泊中出现的小塑料颗粒（纳米和微型塑料），但了解对生物体的任何不利影响的研究有限。对水生食物网后果的调查更是罕见。卡迪夫大学最近的一项独特研究表明，一些微塑料是如何影响广泛分布的藻类的--特别是通过改变它们的脂质组成。这些分子在所有细胞膜的结构和功能中是重要的，包括质膜、叶绿体和线粒体膜，以及在为细胞外层和细胞壁提供结构的蜡和甾醇酯中。这些发现不仅揭示了塑料影响藻类的基本机制，还表明塑料污染可能会破坏整个淡水食物网。例如，浮游动物依赖优质藻类获取食物和生长，从而为捕食者提供重要的生物量。这位前沿博士将进一步探索此类影响，调查i）不同类型和大小的塑料如何（纳米到微米）影响不同藻类的脂质组成，和ii）使用微观世界评估淡水藻类和浮游动物之间级联效应的可能性，中型生态系统和实际的野外条件。