Effects of microparticles on aquatic model macrofauna depending on particle properties: Comparison of microplastics to natural particles (A01)

A01 addresses within the CRC 1357 the question of which properties of chemically complex and more realistic microplastic (MP) particles determine the effects on limnetic model organisms compared to corresponding reference particles that resemble naturally occurring particles. For these systematic studies, the effects of MP on fitness-relevant life history traits as well as at the molecular level (transcriptome, proteome, microbiome) will be analysed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effects. Since the 1st research phase further demonstrated that MP has predominantly sub-lethal effects and may influence biotic interactions, which may have wide-ranging consequences in an ecological context, these will be investigated in Daphnia using predator-prey and host-parasite interactions under laboratory conditions and in mesocosms. In combination with the molecular analyses of the model organisms, the obtained data will substantially help to shed light on the mechanisms underlying the effects of MP, depending on the physical and chemical properties of the particles, which can thus be considered in a broader ecological context.

DFG Programme Collaborative Research Centres

Subproject of SFB 1357:  MICROPLASTICS - Understanding the mechanisms and processes of biological effects, transport and formation: From model to complex systems as a basis for new solutions

Applicant Institution Universität Bayreuth

Project Heads Dr. Thomas Fröhlich; Professor Dr. Christian Laforsch