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302 results for “Microplastics”
The effects of microplastics on crop variation depend on polymer types and their interactions with soil nutrient availability and weed competition
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Liquid crystal-driven interfacial ordering of microplastics: Advancing microplastics characterization below the macro-scale
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Microplastics promote the invasiveness of invasive alien species under fluctuating water regime
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Data from: Microplastic biodegradability does not modify plant carbon input in soil but accelerate soil carbon loss in agroecosystems
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Data from: No effect of realistic concentrations of polyester microplastic fibers on freshwater zooplankton communities
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Data from: Evaluation of cross-generational exposure to microplastics and co-occurring contaminants on embryonic and larval behavior in fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas
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The interplay between climate warming driven by greenhouse gas emissions and the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics: Insights from a meta-analysis
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Data from: Photodegradation modifies microplastic effects on soil properties and plant performance
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EPDM microplastic and earthworm effects on plants
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Biochar mitigates microplastic-induced Destabilization of soil organic carbon via molecular Recalcitrance and microbial process regulation
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Data for: Majority of potable water microplastics are smaller than the 20 µm EU methodology limit for consumable water quality
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Microbial colonization of microplastics in the Caribbean Sea
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Data from: Seafloor microplastic hotspots controlled by deep-sea circulation
<p>While microplastics are known to pervade the global seafloor, the processes that control their dispersal and concentration in the deep sea remain largely unknown. Here we show that thermohaline-driven currents, which build extensive seafloor sediment accumulations, can control the distribution of microplastics and create hotspots of up to 1.9 million pieces m^2. This is the highest reported value for any seafloor setting, globally. Previous studies propose that microplastics are transported to the seafloor by vertical settling from surface accumulations; instead we demonstrate that the spatial distribution and ultimate fate of microplastics is strongly controlled by near-bed thermohaline currents (bottom currents). These currents are known to supply oxygen and nutrients to deep sea benthos suggesting that deep sea biodiversity hotspots are also likely to be microplastic hotspots.</p>
Data from: Microplastic prevalence in 4 Oregon rivers along a rural to urban gradient applying a cost‐effective validation technique
<p>Microplastics are ubiquitous in our environment and are found in rivers, streams, oceans, and even tap water. Riverine microplastics are relatively understudied compared to those in marine ecosystems. In Oregon, we sampled eight sites along four freshwater rivers spanning rural to urban areas to quantify microplastics. Plankton tow samples from sites along the Columbia, Willamette, Deschutes, and Rogue Rivers were analyzed using traditional light microscopy for initial microplastic counts. Application of Nile Red dye to validate microplastics improved microplastic identification, particularly for particles (Wilcox Test; p-value=0.001). Nile Red-corrected microfiber abundance was correlated with human population within five kilometers of the sample site (R²=0.554), though no such relationship was observed between microparticles and population (R²=0.183). This study finds plastics present in all samples from all sites, despite the range from undeveloped, remote stretches of river in rural areas to metropolitan sites within Portland, demonstrating the pervasive presence of plastic pollution<span> </span><span><span>in freshwater environments.</span></span></p>
Atmospheric transport is a major pathway of microplastics to remote regions
<p>In the recent years, a large attention has been given to pollution from plastic products as a major environmental problem. Plastics degrade into smaller particles in the environment via photodegradation, physical abrasion, hydrolysis and biodegradation. Microplastics (1 um to 5 mm size particles) have been reported to affect coral reefs, marine and terrestrial animals, as well as humans. It has been reported that about 30% of microplastics in freshwater and oceanic ecosystems are tire wear particles (TWPs), while brake wear particle (BWP) emissions constitute 55% of all non-exhaust traffic-related particle emissions and 21% of all traffic-related PM emissions. There is a general conviction that the relative contribution of TWP and BWP emissions to total transport-related emissions will grow in the near future, due to the continuous reduction of exhaust traffic-related emissions. Although transport of TWPs and BWPs via runoff and wash-out processes to the marine and/or freshwater ecosystem has been studied extensively, very little is known about how these particles are dispersed in the atmosphere and where they are deposited. This is important due to the aforementioned impact in animals and humans. They also have an environmental impact as they are derived by materials made from fossil fuels such as ethylene and propylene. Thus, larger needs of plastics result in larger emissions of greenhouse gases. Since TWPs and BWPs can become airborne and have been detected already in remote areas, they may absorbe light decreasing surface albedo and accelerating ice melting.<br> Here, we present for the first time the results of the atmospheric dispersion and deposition of traffic-related microplastics (TWPs and BWPs). We assess the suggested emissions using two methods, one indirect based on CO2 country ratios with road microplastics and extrapolation, and another employing an emissions model, which has been extensively used to determine global emissions of various substances by IIASA-International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (GAINS model). We calculate that 34.4–290 kt y<sup>-1</sup> (mean: 100 kt y<sup>-1</sup>), out of 102–787 kt y<sup>-1</sup> (mean: 284 kt y<sup>-1</sup>) of PM10 TWPs emitted, were deposited in the World Ocean, while the respective annual terrestrial and riverine discharges are about 64 kt y-1. This shows that direct deposition of airborne road microplastics is likely the most important source for the ocean and marine biota. The calculated transport of PM10 road microplastics shows a relatively high efficiency over remote regions such as the Arctic Ocean (14%). High latitudes and the Arctic are highlighted as an important receptor of mid-latitude microplastic emissions, which may imply a future climatic risk taking into account that TWPs and BWPs constitute a small portion of the total plastic emissions. As of now, snow concentrations of road microplastics are 100 times lower than those of black carbon or polymers of larger usage (e.g., PVC or PPC). Around 15% of the PM2.5 road microplastic emissions were deposited in the Atlantic Ocean, whereas coarse particles were less efficiently deposited there (10-11%). The efficiency of PM2.5 deposition (TWPs: 19% - BWPs: 18%) over the Pacific Ocean was even more strongly enhanced relative to PM10 deposition (TWPs: 12% - BWPs: 11%), due to their smaller size. Transport efficiencies of coarse particles were up to twice of those for the fine particles in areas surrounded by microplastic emissions sources (e.g., Alps, Mediterranean, Baltic and South China Seas).</p>
Data from: Microplastics negatively affect soil fauna but stimulate microbial activity: insights from a field-based microplastic addition experiment
<p>Microplastics are recognized as an emerging contaminant worldwide. Although microplastics have been shown to strongly affect organisms in aquatic environments, less is known about whether and how microplastics can affect different taxa within a soil community, and it is unclear whether these effects can cascade through soil food webs. By conducting a microplastic manipulation experiment, i.e. adding low-density polyethylene fragments in the field, we found that microplastic addition significantly affected the composition and abundance of microarthropod and nematode communities. Contrary to soil fauna, we found only small effects of microplastics on the biomass and structure of soil microbial communities. Nevertheless, structural equation modeling revealed that the effects of microplastics strongly cascade through the soil food webs, leading to the modification of microbial functioning with further potential consequences on soil carbon and nutrient cycling. Our results highlight that taking into account the effects of microplastics at different trophic levels is important to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the ecological impacts of microplastic pollution on soil functioning.</p>
Spatial-temporal growth, distribution, and diffusion of marine microplastic research and national plastic policies
<p>Plastic accounts for 80% of material waste in the ocean. The field of marine microplastic research is relatively new and is growing rapidly, in terms of published papers as well as institutions and countries conducting research. To combat plastic pollution, there is sufficient evidence that policies can lead to reduced plastic production and consumption both locally and globally. We aim to understand how marine plastics research and policies have grown and spread. Specifically, we used scientometric and spatial diffusion methods to best explain how ideas (in this case science and policy) clustered and spread geographically through time. We performed systematic literature searches to determine the spatial and temporal growth of marine microplastic publications and national plastic policies from 1900-2019. We found that more countries adopted national plastic policies than those that have conducted marine plastic research. Doubling times of each temporal growth rate analyzed (research paper, institution, country, and national policy) ranged from 1.1 – 4.05 years. Further, each temporal growth rate had a break point where doubling time changed significantly. Marine microplastic research has grown exponentially since 2006, and the topics of inquiry have increased steadily. Marine microplastic publication spread at the institution level is best explained by a hybrid of expansion and relocation diffusion while national plastic policy spread is best explained by expansion diffusion. Marine microplastic research activity was not a good indicator of a country's resources or motivation toward national plastic policies.</p>
Datasets of measurements of microplastics in the the Siberian Arctic seas
<p>Dataset chem.xlsx contains data on parameters (weight, size, polymer type, morphology) for each microplastic particle at different stations for both surface and subsurface samples.</p> <p>Dataset stations.xlsx contains data on abundance and weight concentrations of microplastics at the stations for both surface and subsurface samples.</p>
Data from: Microplastics disrupt hermit crab shell selection
<p>Microplastics (plastics < 5 mm) are a potential threat to marine biodiversity. However, the effects of microplastic pollution on animal behaviour and cognition are poorly understood. We used shell selection in common European hermit crabs (<em>Pagurus bernhardus</em>) as a model to test whether microplastic exposure impacts the essential survival behaviours of contacting, investigating, and entering an optimal shell. We kept 64 female hermit crabs in tanks containing either polyethylene spheres (n = 35) or no plastic (n = 29) for five days. We then transferred subjects into suboptimal shells and placed them in an observation tank with an optimal alternative shell. Plastic-exposed hermit crabs showed impaired shell selection: they were less likely than controls to contact optimal shells or enter them. They also took longer to contact and enter the optimal shell. Plastic exposure did not affect time spent investigating the optimal shell. These results indicate that microplastics impair cognition (information-gathering and processing), disrupting an essential survival behaviour in hermit crabs.</p>
Data from: Impacts of microplastic versus natural abiotic particles on the clearance rate of a marine mussel
In coastal habitats, mussels are exposed to microplastic (MP; plastic <5mm) and silt, two abiotic particles that are similarly sized and lack nutrition. The addition of MP or silt may change the functional response of mussels. We measured clearance rate of Mytilus trossulus in three particle treatments (algae, MP + algae, and silt + algae) across four concentrations to 1) determine if the effects of MP and silt are similar and 2) disentangle the effects of particle type, particle concentration, and proportion of abiotic particles. Clearance rate decreased by 62% at high MP concentrations (>1,250 particles/ml) but was not affected at equivalent silt concentrations. These findings suggest high MP concentrations inhibit mussel clearance rate, more than expected by changes in particle concentration or the proportion of abiotic particles. As plastic production increases, mussel exposure to MP will increase, potentially reducing energy transfer, benthic-pelagic coupling, and water clarity.
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.