Ecotoxicology in Microplastic Research for Marine Environment

Ecotoxicology has been described as toxicity testing and can be further expanded as the science of predicting effects of potentially toxic agents on natural ecosystems and on non-target species. Contaminants on the biosphere and their effects on constituents of the biosphere have been studied using tools in ecotoxicology. In marine environment, microplastics are often found clumped together with microbes and other contaminants (e.g. pesticides, PAHs, PCBs, antibiotics…). Microplastics only and/or microplastics associated with contaminants can appear as food for pelagic (e.g. fish, shrimp) and benthic (e.g. bivalve species) species, leading to physiological and biological effects on those aquatic species. To understand the potential risks of microplastics pollution on marine environment, application of ecotoxicological tools such as bioindicators and biomarkers are approaches to understand the mechanism and toxicity endpoints of microplastics in combination with and without other contaminants. This Topical Collection invites novel contributions aimed at improving our understanding of the toxicity effects of microplastics in combination with or without other contaminants in the marine environment through ecotoxicological approaches. Contributions related to quantify and measuring ecotoxicological effects, methods for making estimates, predictability and risk assessment in ecotoxicology of microplastic pollution are also welcomed.

Keywords: ecotoxicology; microplastic; marine environment; toxicity impacts; additives; plasticizer